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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28576125">To Chase a Criminal</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cly_smp/pseuds/cly_smp'>cly_smp</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cly_smp/pseuds/vyon_writes'>vyon_writes (cly_smp)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Childhood, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Dave | Technoblade and Wilbur Soot and TommyInnit are Siblings, Dream SMP references, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Happy Ending?, I tried making Minecraft realistic, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Minecraft, Minecraft Manhunt, Minecraft Manhunt but with a plot, Minecraft lore but kinda realistic, Multi, Realistic Fantasy, Slow Burn, Two Endings, l'manburg, not really death just respawned</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:48:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>47,023</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28576125</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/cly_smp/pseuds/cly_smp, https://archiveofourown.org/users/cly_smp/pseuds/vyon_writes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>George is a Warrior; an occupation in L'Manburg that has to do with hunting all those who has left the country to seek the famed Stronghold, which has been made illegal as long as the country had been standing. He, and his teammates Ant, Bad, and Sapnap, all work together in hunting down a criminal known as Dream.</p><p>Dream is a Runaway, a name given to those who are looking for the famed Stronghold. All he wanted to do was listen to his curiosity and go on an adventure to find explore places built by the Ancient Builders. He's as clever as ever, having multiple ways of getting around his captors each and every time their paths cross.</p><p>An incident occurs, in which George has to realise the horrible truth that the very criminal he's hunting was the childhood friend he has been looking for his whole life.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alexis | Quackity &amp; Jschlatt &amp; Toby Smith | Tubbo, Antfrost &amp; Clay | Dream &amp; GeorgeNotFound &amp; Darryl Noveschosch &amp; Sapnap, Antfrost &amp; Darryl Noveschosch, Antfrost &amp; Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream &amp; Illumina HD &amp; Dave | Technoblade, Clay | Dream &amp; Wilbur Soot, Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), GeorgeNotFound &amp; Karl Jacobs, Karl Jacobs/Sapnap, Niki | Nihachu/Wilbur Soot, Toby Smith | Tubbo &amp; TommyInnit, Toby Smith | Tubbo &amp; Wilbur Soot, Toby Smith | Tubbo &amp; Wilbur Soot &amp; TommyInnit, Wilbur Soot &amp; TommyInnit, Zak Ahmed/Darryl Noveschosch</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>165</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. 01 | it sucks to fail.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hello, welcome to my fanfic! i hope you enjoy!</p><p>from chapter 9 onwards, chapters might be a bit different in structure as i have a beta-reader, who is @SpaceMom!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“GOGY, WATCH OUT!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He ducked just as he hears Sapnap yell, feeling an arrow pierce through his hair- should he be a second late, he would have had an arrow stuck in his head, thus waking up in L’Manberg a day later (this was thanks to the Respawn Anchor made by the technicians of the  country, but that isn’t important as of the moment).</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>George clicked his tongue, unsheathing the sword from his back as he sprints forwards towards the masked man, who is a criminal according to the country he lives in. His eyes narrowed, locking in on the man’s chest- while they recognised him due to his green cloak (he’s been told that it was green, he thought it was yellow), he can see the metallic glint of iron armour peeking from underneath the fabric.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> “He has to be low- he has to be low!” Bad exclaimed, dodging yet another arrow shot by the masked one, “Ant, keep tailing him!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I am!” Ant shouted in exasperation, suddenly jumping back with a horrified shriek once the criminal had turned around with his axe gripped in hand. He turned back, terrified as he sprints out of the masked man’s reach, “Cover me, cover me!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Get away from him!” Sapnap bellowed, jumping in the way between Ant and the criminal. George’s eyes widen as the masked one suddenly acted, his axe cutting deep into Sapnap’s chest before he could even block with his sword. His body slowly became a flurry of white particles, as if he were ashes disintegrating into the wind.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The warriors stood there frozen as the criminal draws back his axe; even in the moonlight George couldn’t see any traces of Sapnap’s blood on its blade, the technicians didn’t lie when they told them that the Respawn Anchor kept them intact upon the impact of death. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He swallowed back hard before taking in deep breaths, feeling the weight of the situation as it was just the three of them left; they just lost their greatest warrior.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“What are you muffins doing?!” Bad said, being the first one to act as he sprints towards the masked man from. George snapped out of his reverie, gripping his own sword tightly as he runs alongside Bad.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Bad, careful!” Ant called out, luckily distracting the criminal as he shoots an arrow in his direction. This caused the masked man to shift his focus from Bad to him, blocking the arrow with his shield before holding it aside to reveal that he had switched his weapon from an iron axe to a crossbow.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>George’s mouth felt dry as he watched Ant disappear into a flurry of white specks after an arrow shoots straight to his chest, being spawned back in the country.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Shit,” He muttered under his breath, raising his shield as the criminal threateningly aimed his crossbow towards him. Bad was doing the same, raising his nearly broken shield in defence; it had taken too much damage from blocking Skeleton’s arrows as well as dodging the masked one’s attacks. He was afraid- this was their first encounter with a Runaway they were tasked to take back to L’Manburg. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Leave me alone and I won’t shoot you like I did to your friends,” The criminal threatened, switching from pointing the crossbow between George and Bad.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>George glanced at Bad, who seems to be having a difficult time coming up with a strategy.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Bad, what are we gonna do?” He whispered, breathing heavily. He had been training for years, but now that he was actually out in the field it all feels.. terrifying.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Gogy, we got this!” Bad shouted, putting down his shield as he charges the criminal with a battle cry. George sprints towards the other side, trying not to stop and cower as Bad’s figure disappear into white specks after having an arrow shot into his chest.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He was scared. He was afraid. He was terrified.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“THIS IS FOR MY FRIENDS!” He bellowed, taking the axe from his side and throwing it towards the criminal. It was blocked, but he could hear the telltale sign of the axe cutting into wood. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>This was an opportunity, his shield had to be broken. George puts down his shield to charge forwards with his sword, only for him to realise his mistake a split second later as he sees an arrow shot towards him.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The last thing he sees is a white mask, its lazily drawn smiley face seem to be mocking him, and he feels his body disperse into particles as his vision darkens.</em>
</p>
<p>He remembers the first time they were sent to the field as a team, it was.. eventful, if he can call it that. Well, they were younger back then and lacked experience on hunting down Runaways.</p>
<p>Though even a year later.. you’d think they’d have managed to be successful in catching Runaways.</p>
<p>They actually had, but they weren’t doing as well as the others were. Their main target was the Runaway known as Dream, who they’ve had multiple encounters with but never had the chance to catch him.   </p>
<p>“This is so annoying!” Bad exclaims in frustration, trying not to move so much as his chest was wrapped in bandages, “We almost had him!”</p>
<p>They’ve just woken up from yet another hunt, managing to track down Dream and attempting to capture him upon sight. As always, they were outsmarted by the criminal, thus ending up back in L’Manburg all injured. Thanks to the Respawn Anchor, their supposed dying blows were softened; all they to do is receive treatment from the hospital as soon as possible.</p>
<p>“If it weren’t for the stupid Slowness potion he threw at us we would have gotten him!” He continues, seriously pissed. The three of them, George, Sapnap, and Ant, wince at the memory, remembering the sound of breaking glass and the feeling of a few drops of dark grey liquid seeping into their skin to rob them of their speed. George still felt sluggish after waking up, but that might be due to the fact that he just woke up. Bad growls, clutching the sheets he’s been provided, “Where did he even get a stinkin’ Slowness potion?!”</p>
<p>“Bad, calm down,” Sapnap sighs, the exhaustion in his voice evident. George looks away for a moment, remembering that he was the first to die on their recent encounter with Dream. Sapnap assures, “We’ll get him next time.”</p>
<p>“How many times have we said that, huh, Sapnap?!” Bad snaps, his white eyes glowing brighter in the slightest as he gets all flared up.</p>
<p>“Bad,” Ant says, already getting a headache from all the shouting, “I get that you’re frustrated- but don’t forget that we’re frustrated too. I get it, it’s annoying that he got away, <em>again</em>! But shouting does nothing, okay? All we’re to do is to regenerate, train, and try to capture him once the next sighting of him is reported, or do our best on the next time we’re put out on the field.”</p>
<p>“I know, I know,” Bad crosses his arms, looking defeated, “It’s just.. it’s just so unfair!”</p>
<p>George lets out a breath, feeling horrible as he was the last one alive on the last hunt. He shot the crossbow perfectly- he wasn’t even <em>that</em> proficient on the crossbow- and yet he still lost to Dream! It was the most frustrating thing ever, just like every time they lost to that green-clad man. He can perfectly envision his white mask, caked with dirt and grime but he can still see that smiley face mocking them with every encounter. It was just <em>frustrating.</em></p>
<p>“George, stop sulking, I can practically hear you screaming at yourself in your mind,” Sapnap says, lightly chuckling in an attempt to lighten up the atmosphere, “We’ll get him next time, don’t worry.”</p>
<p>“I’m just frustrated,” George admits, eyebrows furrowed. He weaves his fingers together, tightly squeezing as he recalls the events before he was respawned back to L’Manburg; the sound of his sword clashing against an axe, metal cutting into wood, the sound of an arrow piercing through the air- it all felt clear as day to him. He says in a low voice, nearly seething, “I was the last one there.”</p>
<p>“I know..”</p>
<p>He scowls.</p>
<p> “I’m going for a walk,” He announces, standing up from his bed and heading out of the hospital room. He avoids the protests from his teammates, shrugging off Sapnap’s hand before he could even reach him. He turns to them as he opens the door, anger burning in his eyes, “I’ll be fine.”</p>
<p>“George, you just woke up,” Ant says, trying to be a voice of reason as he speaks in a steady tone, “We just woke up. You need to rest.”</p>
<p>“I’ll be fine.” George repeats, turning around as soon as he says so. As soon as he closes the door, he finds Niki out in the hallway. The scent of freshly baked bread wafts in the air, letting him spot the basket in her arms with soft linen on top of it as a cover. He lowers his head, averting his eyes, “Niki, um, hello.”</p>
<p>“George,” She says, looking a bit surprised. Her eyebrows furrow, and he tries to avoid the worried look on her face as she asks, “Why are you out of bed? You should be resting-“</p>
<p>“I’m fine,” He tells her in a definite tone, deciding to walking past her and down the hallway. His voice echoes out, “I just need some fresh air.”</p>
<p>He could still feel her eyes on him even as he had already turned a corner, he tries to avoid the way it burns his back. He’s grown tired of all the worry people held for him- for them, rather. The world outside of L’Manburg was terrifying with all the mobs spawning when night falls, more so in the day light where one can find some of them roaming about aimlessly. Within the walls- the borders, rather, was a safe place for all away from the chaos that their world held, especially with the growing population of Pillagers that were supposed to be a cult-like group.</p>
<p>George never really knew much about them, not really caring to learn about them.</p>
<p>He takes a deep breath, reflecting on his reality.</p>
<p>He is part of the Warriors, an occupation in L’Manberg made specifically for hunting down criminals seeking the Stronghold called Runaways.</p>
<p>For a reason that no one had ever dared to question, no one is allowed to seek for the famed Stronghold that was created by the “Ancient Builders”, as they have called them, which held a portal to another dimension. It was taboo to even talk about it, that there was a period where those who sought to find the Stronghold was to be eliminated. In the current days, anyone who even spoke of the Stronghold were given penalties or jailed.</p>
<p>Due to this, no one really left the country’s borders, no one talked or thought about the Stronghold itself.</p>
<p>It was a mystery to all as to why it was illegal, but no one really dares to question the authorities. It’s been like this since L’Manburg started, unlike tradition, everything about the Stronghold was to be kept dead</p>
<p>George finally reaches the hospital doors, pushing them open to feel the fresh air upon him. He had grown sick of the scent of potions in the air, specifically Regeneration ones. As useful as it is, he doesn’t like its effect on his body; the end result might be satisfactory, but the process just feels too painful.</p>
<p>He walks down a cobblestone path, eventually getting onto an isolated dirt path as he manages to arrive at a cliffside. This was his self-proclaimed “happy place”, or rather a place where he usually goes to so he can calm down and recollect his thoughts.. or to simply just be alone and enjoy nature. Either of the two, this is his favourite spot to be.</p>
<p>It was a known place despite it being completely deserted, conveniently having a bench placed near the cliff. He goes to stand by the fence, eyes skimming over the forests that stretch on out towards the rest of L’Manburg and out of its borders. He’s always liked the view, just the sight of nature and its beauty was enough to get him to calm down. Add the factor that the area was cool and breezy, it was just the perfect place to relax in.</p>
<p>In the silence, despite the whistling wind, his thoughts find its way to the very criminal they’ve been hunting down; Dream.</p>
<p>He frowns, feeling the frustration rise within him again as his body warms in response. The thought of him gives him a bitter taste in his mouth that he nearly wanted to throw up- he was <em>that</em> pissed off. Though it leads him to a thought he’s been having ever since seeing the masked man in person during the first time he was sent out on the field: who <em>is</em> Dream?</p>
<p>As long as George has been living in L’Manberg, he had never heard of anyone named Dream. As far as he can remember, he was called to Schlatt’s office to be given a briefing of the criminal they are mainly assigned to. They don’t know anything other than his name and his appearance, which was usually in the form of a green cloak and a white mask with that mocking smiley face.</p>
<p>“You okay? You look pissed.”</p>
<p>He flinches, suddenly turning around to find someone sitting on the bench; it was a male with dirty blond hair, smiling at him softly, “Hello.”</p>
<p>“Um.. hi,” George responds, shoulders relaxing as it isn’t anyone suspicious. While he hasn’t seen the man before in his life, he doesn’t exactly know everyone on L’Manburg. Plus, he seemed friendly.</p>
<p>“Anything wrong?” The man asks, his voice sounding sincere that it nearly pulls on his heart strings. He turns back towards the fence, leaning down on it as he focuses on staring at the forest below the cliff.</p>
<p>“I’m just frustrated,” George sighs, shoulders drooping as he’s reminded of their recent failure, “I mean- we almost had him! I was so close to capturing Dream! But I freaking- I freaking lost!”</p>
<p>“That must have sucked,” The stranger comments, though he still had a comforting tone in his oice</p>
<p>“It really sucks,” He groans, closing his eyes as he tries to control his frustration. He clenches his fist, trying to find a way to cope with his current predicament. The stranger chuckles at him, causing him to suddenly freeze. He knows that voice. It was dangerously familiar, as if he heard it a week ago.. as if he’s heard it a hundred times.</p>
<p>“Who are you?” George asks, leaning his head back to look at the stranger. If he looks closely, the man had green eyes- or was it yellow? He couldn’t really tell, he was colourblind after all. He watches as the man ponders over his question, giving him a good moment to study his face. His eyebrows furrow, wondering how he recognises the man even though he’s never met him in his life. Somehow it was the eyes that got him remembering a few things- memories that he’d rather lock away than reminisce. He winces at the thought of it, looking away to avoid any more memories resurfacing.</p>
<p>“No one, really,” The stranger humours, letting out another chuckle as he stands up from the bench, “I’m just visiting this area-“</p>
<p>Something suddenly drops from where he stood up, and George watches as a white circular mask rolls all over the ground before stopping to reveal a smiley face.</p>
<p>A smiley face that seemed to mock him.</p>
<p>His vision nearly turns red as he realises who the stranger is.</p>
<p>“Woah, woah- don’t- don’t shout!” Dream exclaims, holding his hands out as if to try and calm down George. He then raises his hands, as if he were surrendering, “I-I come in peace, I swear.”</p>
<p>“You’re- Oh my god, you’re-!” George shakes, out of rage or out of fear, he doesn’t really know- he’s feeling quite a lot of emotions and he couldn’t pinpoint each and every one of them.</p>
<p>“Please, <em>please</em> don’t shout,” Dream pleads, picking up the mask as he slowly backs away from George. He points at his chest, “Hey- Hey look, you shouldn’t be shouting, you’re clearly still injured-“</p>
<p> “I.. I don’t care! Why are you here?!” George says, suddenly feeling vulnerable at the sight of the axe sheathed onto Dream’s side. Dream seems to notice this, suddenly turning so that it was out of his sight. George glares, to which the criminal just shrugs in response, “You’re.. You’re lucky I’m unarmed right now.”</p>
<p>“Right, I am lucky I’m armed right now,” Dream gives him a sly grin, with George glowering in response. The criminal sighs, looking away, “Well, um, there’s something I have to do.”</p>
<p>“Which is?”</p>
<p>“Something,” Dream looks towards the town, which causes George to be suspicious. Dream seems to notice this, feeling embarrassed as he passively waves his hands out in front of him, “I’m not thinking of doing anything bad! It’s just- something bad happened and I need to do something about it.”</p>
<p>“What happened?” George asks, suspicious as to whatever the criminal have in mind, “What are you planning?”</p>
<p>“I, um,” Dream averts his gaze, “Nothing! Nothing really-“</p>
<p>“I don’t believe you.”</p>
<p>“I-I- well, um, I’m not really expecting you to believe me but, like, you know, I’m kinda expecting you to, um-“</p>
<p>“You’re planning something,” George says in a low voice, trying to appear as intimidating, “You know I’ll report this to headquarters, right?”</p>
<p>“Headquarters?” Dream question, looking confused, “Oh, is that like your team or something, your boss-“</p>
<p>“Gogy! You there?” Sapnap’s voice ring through the air, and George can see the male walking up to the place.</p>
<p>“Aand that’s my cue.” Dream says, lifting his mask and placing it on his face as he ties the strap around his head. He turns towards the fence, only to be stopped by George as he holds onto the criminal’s arm and drags him towards Sapnap’s direction. Dream panicks, exclaiming, “Wait- Wait- no-!”</p>
<p>“You’re coming with me!” George shouts, adrenaline running through his veins as he tries to hold on. He suddenly becomes faster, his hand holding onto air as Dream disappears. George gasps, turning around to look for wherever the criminal had disappeared to. His eyes catch a wisp of purple from where Dream was standing, telling him that he probably used an Ender Pearl to teleport away.</p>
<p>“George- what- what was that- <em>who</em> was that?!” Sapnap exclaims, rushing towards George, “Are you hurt? Did he try to mug you-?”</p>
<p>“N-No, it’s-“ George seems to violently shake in rage, turning towards the direction that Dream had disappeared off to. He forces himself to calm down, taking in deep breaths and exhaling them as if trying to breath out his anger, “It’s nothing.”</p>
<p>“That.. That couldn’t be nothing,” Sapnap says, worried, “Did you know who it was?”</p>
<p>For some reason, George lies.</p>
<p>“No,” He answers, his staring through the forest down below as he exhales through clenched teeth, “I don’t.”</p><hr/>
<p>“Huh, took you a while to come back- saw anything useful?”</p>
<p>Dream lets out a laugh, taking off the mask hiding his face. He places it on a log as he sits on the ground, warming himself up by the campfire as the night grows colder. His companion hands over a bowl, which didn’t have stew instead having mutton and steak instead. Huh, so he was successful in his hunt.</p>
<p>“I didn’t get to scout the town, something happened,” Dream chuckles, taking a bite out of the mutton, “You know those guys who hunts me down every time I get near the border? I.. kinda met one of them.”</p>
<p>“You- You.. <em>what</em>?!”</p>
<p>“Hey, it’s not like he even knows where we are!” Dream laughs, throwing his head back as he does so, “Calm down, Techno!”</p>
<p>“If the two of us were found here, you’re dead to me.” Techno sighs, taking a bite of his meal. He straightens up, saying, “Anyway, we have to scout the town as soon as possible, probably around midnight. Anything to get Illumina out as fast as we can, just being near the country is enough to annoy me.”</p>
<p>“It’s Illumina’s fault for getting caught! He said he wouldn’t!” Dream complains, taking another bite from his mutton, “Did he really have to <em>trap </em>the hunters like he said he would? That trap wasn’t even good!”</p>
<p>“It’s his fault, but you and I know we have to get him out of jail,” Techno says, looking a bit annoyed, “Finish eating and we can scout as soon as we can.”</p>
<p>“Right, right.”</p>
<p>“Really, Illumina, you’re the brain of the team but you do shit like this,” Techno grumbles, causing Dream to laugh.</p>
<p>The two of them then fall into silence, leaving each other with their thoughts instead as they continue to eat.</p>
<p>Dream finds himself thinking about the brown haired hunter he had met- was his name Gogy? He doesn’t remember properly, but the guy does look pretty young (and familiar, if he thinks about it, but he’s really not). He thought warriors were like middle-aged men who’ve seen years of battle out on the field, he certainly didn’t expect to find that the people chasing him down are around his age (maybe a tad bit older or younger than him, he doesn’t really know exactly).</p>
<p>A smile lands on his face as he remembers the first time he encountered the warriors, leaning back against a tree as he looks back on the memory. It was stressful, but it was like a funny memory to look back to.</p>
<p>
  <em>His muscles were burning. He had never moved so much like that before- he’s never had to run away and defend himself from people who were trying to kill him.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>They had a full armour set and everything! Even their weapons looked to be professionally made! What the hell was their deal with him?! Well, he may have an idea as to why they were chasing him, but still, what the hell was that?! He only had an iron chest plate on him- and he didn’t even have a proper axe!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Dream pulled off his mask, taking in a deep breath of fresh air before collapsing into the grass of the plains he managed to run to after the crazy encounter he just had. It was deep into the night and he was in danger of encountering any mobs that might have appeared from the darkness, but he couldn’t care any less. He was tired, he was exhausted. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Those combat lessons from Techno might have proven to be useful after all. He could remember the hours they spent training with badly made wooden swords as they sparred for hours; he’d always be taken down by Techno, but there were a few moments where he manage to beat him (though those were usually because Techno was tired from sparring for hours).</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Heh? Dream, is that you?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He opened his eyes, seeing the warm glow of a torch slowly light up his surroundings. Soon he was staring up at a pig mask, which was pulled upwards to reveal a dear friend’s face.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“What are you doing?” Techno asked, watching as Dream sits up.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Four people just tried to kill me!” He said, still in disbelief of what he had experienced. He remembered the way they just disappeared into ashes, as if they were never there in the first place.  He was still trying to comprehend what had just happened, “They- They all had armour and- and like, everything!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Sure. Like I’d believe that,” Techno rolled his eyes, turning around, “Look, we got to get back to Illumina because-“</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“RUN!” They hear, looking towards the source of the voice as they find Illumina, their other companion, running from a group of people clad in iron armour. Dream stood up, putting on his mask as he sheathed his weapons back into his inventory.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Illumina, what the hell?!” Techno yelled, in the lead as the three of them try to lose the group of possible assassins after them.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I don’t even know, they just started chasing me!” Illumina shouted back, in panic as neither of them expected to be chased out in the wild. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Dream looked back from his experience prior to their current predicament, a sly smile appearing on his lips as his companions skid to a stop from his  sudden action.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Dream, what are you doing?!” Illumina asked, taking out a sword to defend himself with. Techno was merely watching him, though he could sense his disappointment in the form of a stare.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Three to four, we can beat them,” Dream said, taking out his axe. He grinned from under the mask, saying, “Oh, come on, now!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I might have to side on Dream with this one,” Techno said, unsheathing his sword and standing beside the man.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Illumina sighed, “Fine.”</em>
</p>
<p>“Dream?”</p>
<p>He blinks back into reality, turning to Techno with a far-off look on his face, “What?”</p>
<p>“We gotta go.”</p>
<p>“Oh, um, sure.”                                                 </p>
<p>Their meals have been eaten, the campfire has been extinguished, and they take away any evidence that they have been there. As soon as they’re about to leave, they hear the familiar sound of a crossbow being prepared to fire, followed by the sound of a stick cracking.</p>
<p>“Who are you?” Techno asks, holding his sword up towards the stranger. Dream forgot to put on his mask, which was a huge mistake.</p>
<p>Well.. not quite.</p>
<p>Not after hearing who it was.</p>
<p>“.. Clay? Is that you?”</p>
<p>Dream’s eyes widen upon hearing his name. He reaches for his axe, unsure if his suspicion was correct. The stranger steps forwards as they put down the crossbow, no longer having any intent to attack. He blinks, recognising them through the dim light from the moon.</p>
<p>“Wilbur?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. 02 | chance encounters</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Dream has an encounter with Wilbur.</p><p>George is pissed at Dream.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>if you've read the previous version of this, which is "to catch a criminal", you'd notice that i changed a lot :) i really hope this version is better ahaha</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dream stares at Wilbur, a bit amazed to see him out in the Wilderness instead of being in L’Manburg.</p><p>“What are you- how are you-?”</p><p>“Dream, we have to go.” Techno says, sounding urgent. Dream takes note of the fact that he lowered his voice just for him to hear, though he understood the reason why Techno wouldn’t want to be heard.</p><p>Though Dream is curious- why is Wilbur out here? Unless they’re within L’Manburg’s borders, but they’re pretty sure they’re way outside its borders. This got him second-guessing himself, suddenly wondering if he was wrong in his measurement of the country’s boundaries.</p><p>“You go first, I can go after. I have pearls.” Dream says, giving the masked man an assured nod. Techno gives him a glance before finally sighing, nodding in agreement as he takes off towards the direction of the town. He turns to face Wilbur, who has sheathed his crossbow by his side. He leans against a tree, crossing his arms, “Um.. why are you out here? I’m pretty sure this is already outside of L’Manburg.”</p><p>Wilbur just stares at him, “Where have you been?”</p><p>“Just around,” Dream vaguely motions to the side, lightly shrugging, “It’s a lot to explain, really. So, my question?”</p><p>“I, um,” Wilbur straightens up in his posture, crossing his arms with a sigh, “I’ve been exiled.”</p><p>Now that was something that he didn’t expect to hear.</p><p>“You were what?”</p><p>“You clearly heard me, Dream.”</p><p>Dream pushes away from the tree, frowning as tries to process the information he’s been given. He tilts his head, as if that would make it any easier.</p><p>“Exiled,” He repeats, still in disbelief, “By who? Since when?”</p><p>“Schlatt.” Wilbur says, his voice having an edge of hatred to it. He averts his eyes to the ground, his shoulder slumping as he adds, “He beat me in the elections a year and a half ago.”</p><p>“Wow, that’s..” Dream didn’t know what to say. He definitely didn’t know what to say. He’s been out of L’Manburg for years, nearly a decade if he remembers correctly, what could he even tell Wilbur? He offers a smile instead, saying, “That’s.. unfortunate?”</p><p>“It’s fine. It’s happened,” Wilbur sighs, straightening his posture, “Dad’s.. Dad’s left after he retired before the elections. I took over since.. since Blade was..”</p><p>Dream looks off in the direction where Techno went off to, almost chuckling at the irony of the situation. He glances back at Wilbur, who had a rather distraught look on his face. He almost pitied the guy, but he also couldn’t care any less about the situation. He’s lost his loyalty to L’Manburg years ago, after all.</p><p>“Anyway,” Wilbur fixes his composure, coughing into a fist as he averts his gaze from Dream, “Sorry about that- well, um, I took over. I ran for President, Tommy went and ran as Vice President beside me, even though you and I know he’s far too young for that, and yet we.. we lost.”</p><p>“To Schlatt.” Dream says, not missing the way Wilbur grimaces at the mention of the man’s name. He lets out a breath, glancing off in the direction where Techno ran off to. He speaks up, “I, um, I have to go, unless you want to go and continue this conversation some time later?”</p><p>Wilbur pauses, eyes fixated on Dream as if he’s thinking of something.</p><p>“You remember that river we went through beyond the border when we were kids?” He asks, a small nostalgic smile appearing on his lips.</p><p>“Oh, the one we went to with George, Nick, and the others?” Dream raises an eyebrow. He couldn’t help but smile as well, remembering the fond memories of their childhood. Just them out in the sun as they fish and play all types of games they’d invent, or even just lying down in the grass as they exchange stories they made up.</p><p>It also hurt him to think that it was just a memory now, he wonders how everyone else is doing. He furrows his eyebrows, trying to remember what they looked like. He couldn’t really imagine how they look like now, it’s been years, after all.</p><p>“Yeah, that one,” Wilbur lightly chuckles, but Dream could hear how forced it was. He looks back from where he came from, saying, “I’ll meet you there around noon,”</p><p>They hear a stick break in the dark, and the tell-tale sound of bones rattling tells them there’s a Skeleton nearby. Wilbur sighs, “I’ll get going now, Tommy must be wondering where I went.”</p><p>“Be safe out there,” Dream passes by Wilbur, clapping him on the shoulder.</p><p>“I know.”</p><p>Dream recognises the weight in those words. He gives Wilbur one last worried glance before taking out a greenish-blue pearl from his pocket, throwing it as far as he could. He makes a run for it, bracing himself from the pain of teleporting. He feels his vision shift and he lands on new ground, groaning at the toll of its effect on his body. He hides the mask in his bag, making his way into L’Manburg through the forest.</p><p>He looks up at the streetlamps, being the same as they were back then. Nostalgia fills him as he walks through the town, memories flooding into his mind as he can see his younger self running through the streets with his friends, wooden toy swords in their hands as they played another round of pretend.</p><p>He chuckles, continuing through the street. He catches sight of a familiar library, although he averts his gaze and avoids it.</p><p>That’s not his objective right now.</p><hr/><p>George had him. He <em>almost </em>had him. Almost! Why the hell is it <em>almost </em>every single fucking time?!</p><p>He was fuming. He was pissed. He was furious.</p><p>How did he let that criminal slip through his fingers like that? Screw Ender Pearls, screw Endermen in general! They’re annoying to fight and they’re the bane of his existence! If only George had thought of snatching Dream’s axe in the first place, he would have gotten him! If only George wasn’t <em>injured</em>, he would have gotten him! If only-</p><p>“Woah, George, are you that pissed at the bread?” Sapnap asks, an amused look on his face. George hears Ant snickering at him and Bad scolding Sapnap for his language. He blinks, reminding himself where he was. The sound of cutlery scraping against plates and people chattering grounds him back to reality, remembering that he was back in Headquarters. It’s been a few hours since they’ve been discharged from the hospital, and yet he’s here still <em>fuming</em> about the fact that he could have caught Dream. He’s seen Dream’s face. He knows what he looks like.</p><p>But why isn’t he telling anyone about it?</p><p>“It’s,” George sighs, still feeling so frustrated, “It’s nothing.”</p><p>Sapnap gives him a look, knowing that it’s not just <em>nothing</em>. Something had happened and Sapnap has to know at some point.</p><p>“Yeah, <em>nothing</em>,” Sapnap mocks with a roll his eyes. He frowns, turning to the brunette with a now worried look, “What’s nothing and why are you angry?”</p><p>“It’s <em>nothing</em>.” George repeats, just staring down at his food. Bad gets the signal that he doesn’t want to talk about it, merely nodding in acknowledgement as he continues to eat his dinner. George tries to avoid Sapnap’s stare, internally thanking the male as he looks away and continues to eat.</p><p>His mind snaps back that to a few days ago, hand gripping his spoon which such strength that they thought he was gonna break it. He instead takes a bite of his bread, calming himself down as he instead thinks of the things he could have done in that encounter- but the most he can think of is tackling the criminal, stealing his axe, and threatening him with his own weapon.</p><p>But George takes into account the fact that Dream revealed that they have Ender pearls, he can practically teleport away like the godforsaken creatures that terrorise people who look into their eyes. He shudders upon envisioning an Enderman, they were terrifying. He can handle Creepers fine, but Endermen.. they just terrify him.</p><p>“I’m not really sure if I heard it right, but,” Ant speaks, catching their attention, “I passed by the Pen and heard shouting in the prison.”</p><p>That certainly catches their attention.</p><p>“What were you doing there?” Bad asks, raising an eyebrow.</p><p>“I always pass by the prison on the way to the mines,” Ant explains, lightly shrugging, “Anyway, I heard shouting and I kind of.. eavesdropped for a little bit, and I heard them mention something about Dream and Technoblade. I think they caught Illumina?”</p><p>“Ah, the infamous Runaways,” Sapnap says, though they don’t miss the way he shudders. Nearly every team of Warriors have encountered either one of them; while Dream was a trickster who seemed to toy with those who chase him, Techno was rather brutal and Illumina knew how to lose the Warriors chasing him. George winces at a memory when they were tasked with Technoblade once; it was a hellish experience. They were the hunters- and yet the pig-masked fiend had found a way to turn the roles around and have them be the hunted.</p><p>He is then reminded of the time he met up with Dream in his happy place, a frown fixating on his lips from the memory. His appetite seems to disappear, but he takes a bite out of his bread out of spite. He does not want to stop eating just because of <em>Dream</em>.</p><p>“Illumina was captured?” Bad asks in disbelief, “What- <em>how</em>?”</p><p>“I don’t know either, someone must have outsmarted him or something,” Ant says with yet another shrug, “I heard some whispers from other Warriors that it was Ponk or Punz’s team, but either way they did well. I think they did some cobweb trap or something.”</p><p>“Where the hell did they get cobwebs?” Sapnap says, sounding in awe of the situation, “That’s fucking genius!”</p><p>“Language.” Bad warns, and the younger mumbles an apology. Soon they finished their meals and are heading back to their dorms, to which Sapnap slings his arm around George’s shoulder as they head towards their dorm room. George looks at him with a hesitant smile, and Sapnap merely smiles in return.</p><p>“What’s up?” Sapnap asks as he lets go of him, placing his hands in his pockets as they walk towards the stairs, “You’ve been pretty pissed these days.”</p><p>George groans, not really wanting to think about <em>Dream</em> of all people. He sighs, throwing his head back in exasperation, “It’s nothing, it’s just that.. that thing from a few days ago.”</p><p>“Oh.” Sapnap frowns, “You still don’t know who they are? Have you tried asking around?”</p><p>George bites back a response, wanting to say something along the lines of <em>Oh, Sapnap, that was Dream, actually! He was in town, he’s here in L’Manburg! I think no one knows what he looks like but me!</em></p><p>He takes a deep breath, replying instead with, “It’s fine, I was just pissed.”</p><p>Silence.</p><p>“You sure?”</p><p>“I’m definitely sure, Sapnap.”</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“Positive.”</p><p>“Then why are you still mad?”</p><p>“Can you not?” George frowns, tired of the whole situation. He’s tired of feeling frustrated day to day. It doesn’t help that the other Warriors mock them for having one of the best Warriors in their team, Sapnap, and yet they couldn’t even catch Dream.</p><p>“I’m sorry, dude,” Sapnap says, his voice going soft, “I was just worried.”</p><p>“Don’t worry about it,” George sighs, being the one to open their door upon arriving to their dorm, “It’s really nothing.”</p><p>“You sure?”</p><p>George laughs, “I’m positive, I’m positive.”</p><p>Later that night, something felt wrong.</p><p>George can feel it but he couldn’t really understand why.</p><p>He thought Sapnap was awake, but the guy is fast asleep on his bed, snoring the night away with his foot hanging off the edge.</p><p>Looking out the window, nothing <em>seems</em> to be wrong.</p><p>But something is terribly wrong and he doesn’t know how or why. It just is. His gut feeling has been keeping him awake that whenever he tried going back to sleep he couldn’t really do so properly. He could blame his thoughts for being on red alert without anything going on, but he felt rather restless.</p><p>He stares into the darkness of the room, glancing out of the window once again. Leaves flutter from the trees from time to time, which almost convinces him that nothing was wrong.</p><p>His mind, however, says otherwise.</p><p>“I’ll be back.” He whispers to absolutely no one.</p><p>Instead of going out the door, like anyone would definitely do, he goes out of the window. Their room might be on the second floor, but there was a tree conveniently placed just outside their window; it was a great place to hang out at sometimes, but the headquarters wasn’t a good place to relax in when you hear people sparring. It’s also great for sneaking away, just like what he’s doing as of the moment.</p><p>The night is cold- colder than he had expected it to be- causing him to hug and rub his hands against his arms as he realised he wasn’t wearing any sweater. Just an old shirt and some pants he uses as pajamas. Could he have changed? He should have, but if might change his mind on going on a walk and clearing his head if he returned to the room. He shudders at the feel of the cold cobble floors under his feet, he’d get sick one way or another.</p><p>“Heavens, it’s cold out..” He mumbles, trying to rub his arms to get as much heat as he can just from the friction. However his hands are also as cold as the night, so that doesn’t really do much. He manages to get through the gates of headquarters, seeing lanterns lit up in the street in the dead of the night. Not much people are in the streets, though he can see a few hanging out and singing drunkenly at the bar nearby.</p><p>He purposely avoids that street, he wouldn’t want noise to disrupt him.</p><p>He goes around the Headquarter’s walls, taking a small stroll since he can’t really fall asleep without tiring himself to some amount. His eyes focus on the wall around headquarters, thinking of how guarded the place was. It’s ironic how L’Manburg’s walls have been torn down, causing the country to be exposed to the outside world, while headquarters’ walls stand high and mighty. He doesn’t really understand Schlatt sometimes, although his policies do make a point somehow.</p><p>He stops as he spots someone walking towards him, causing them to stop as well. He squints in the darkness, familiarity hitting him as the person just a few metres from him wave.</p><p>“Oh, hi Gogy.”</p><p>He takes a step back, bewildered by the sight of <em>Dream</em> in front of him.</p><p>“What the fu-“</p><p>“Shhh,” Dream quickly strides towards him, motioning the male to stay quiet as he points at the window above them. George blinks in confusion, looking up to find an opened window. With the structure of headquarters partially memorised in his head, he recognises that they were near the prisoner cells. He can hear faint voices arguing, recognising Schlatt’s and Quackity’s.</p><p>“Stay quiet,” Dream mutters, wary of being caught.</p><p>George feels a hand on his wrist and he tries to pull away from the criminal’s grip, saying, “Let me go-“</p><p>“Shut up if you don’t want to get caught.” Dream says in a low voice, which was threatening enough to shut up George. As much as he wants to just yell and say that he caught Dream, he couldn’t because he doesn’t know what the criminal has up his sleeve. George was unarmed, Dream obviously is.</p><p>George gives the man a dirty look, to which Dream merely holds a finger up to his mouth in a shushing position before pointing up at the window.</p><p>His eyes widen by a fraction as he now hears Schlatt shouting, followed by the distinct sound of a fist hitting someone’s face. He winces at the sound of it.</p><p>“Oof, that’s gotta hurt,” Dream says, feigning a pained look on his face. George merely deadpans at him, with the former merely grinning in return.</p><p>“<em>One way or another you’re gonna have to tell me where you little </em>buddies<em> are</em>,” Schlatt threatens, followed by another punch. George winces at the sound of the other person groaning in pain. He’s had his own share of being beat up, and it definitely wasn’t fun.</p><p>“<em>What are you going to do, use a Potion of Harming on me? You don’t even have the knowledge of making those.</em>”</p><p>“For fuck’s sake, shut the fuck up, Illumina,” Dream mumbles under his breath, a breathy chuckle following after, “You’re giving them ideas.”</p><p>While George should be pissed as he’s literally held captive- hostage?- by the very man he’s been hunting ever since he became a Warrior, he couldn’t help but think that this criminal’s laugh sounds rather familiar.</p><p>They listen to the back and forth banter between the two, which held nothing important as the other guy-Illumina?-was just messing with Schlatt at the moment.</p><p>George catches sight of the axe on Dream’s side once again, and his mind turns back to the plan he thought of earlier in the day. He holds back a smile, trying to angle himself in a way that he could reach for the axe.</p><p>“It’s pretty cold tonight, why are you in a shirt?” Dream asks in a whisper, as if trying to make conversation. George just stares at him, unamused. The man shrugs, “What, I’m just curious.”</p><p>“I just woke up,” George mumbles, looking away. He’s suddenly aware that the criminal is now holding his hand. He shudders, wondering if Dream knew about his plan.</p><p>“You’re hand is freezing,” Dream snickers, almost interlocking their hands together, “Aren’t you glad that I’m warm?”</p><p>George scoffs, feeling his body slowly growing warm from anger, “You wish.”</p><p>Schlatt’s voice seems to become louder from the window.</p><p>“Why are you even here?” George whispers, nearly hissing, as the man before him might as well be his sworn enemy.</p><p>“Oh, I thought it was obvious why I’m here,” Dream seems to spare him a glance. George couldn’t really tell his facial expressions due to the fact that it was dark. Dream seems to look back up at the window, replying, “Saving Illumina, if it wasn’t already obvious.”</p><p>“How the hell would you manage to do that?” George furrows his eyebrows, highly curious.</p><p>“<em>I thought you were smarter than that, Schlatt</em>.” They hear from the window, and before George could even comprehend what was happening, he finds himself face to face with a heavily bruised Ilumina.</p><p>“<em>YES</em>!” Dream yells, standing up from his place and helping Illumina up, “It worked! Let’s goo!”</p><p>“Shut the hell up!” Illumina exclaims, holding his shackled hands out. Dream unsheathes his axe, much to George’s horror, and forcibly brings it down to break the shackles in one go. Illumina seems to glance at George, saying, “We have to go!”</p><p>“Sorry, Gogy, it was nice meeting you!” Dream says with a smile, holding out his axe threateningly before putting on his mask and running away.</p><p> “<em>WHAT</em>?!”</p><p>George looks up at the window, seeing Schlatt holding onto the metal bars. His breath hitches, heart stopping once Schlatt has seen him standing below the window.</p><p>“What are you doing, George?! <em>AFTER THEM</em>!” Schlatt yells, turning away from the windows as he bellows, “<em>SOUND THE ALARMS, WE HAVE RUNAWAYS IN THE TOWN</em>!”</p><p>He books it from where he was, not caring if he didn’t have any armour or weapons on him.</p><p>He just runs to the direction he last saw Dream and Illumina running from. He thanks the fact that he was a pretty fast runner, being able to catch glimpses of the two Runaways barely turning corners.</p><p>He continues on their trail, eyes peeled for any sign of them. Upon turning a corner he finds the two criminals on their way through the Spruce forest.</p><p>“DREAM!” He yells, trying his best to stay on their tracks. He sees the two of them look behind them, giving him enough time to catch up. “Don’t you <em>dare</em> run away!”</p><p>Oh how he wished he could have committed to those words.</p><p>He manages to skid to a stop, although he accidentally slips and lands on his back- thank the heavens for his reflexes or else he wouldn’t have managed to dodge that arrow that seemed to come <em>out of nowhere</em>.</p><p>“Dream, give me a pearl!” Someone shouts, their voice sounding out of breath.</p><p>“Shut up, I’m looking for them!” Dream shouts back, sounding a bit frantic.</p><p>George can hear the sound of metal clanking behind him, letting him know that there are soldiers on the way to arrest the criminals. He stands up, already prepared to sprint.</p><p>“<em>Oh, for fuck’s sake</em>-“</p><p>He’s suddenly pushed aside by a force, causing him to look around for whoever had done that. He freezes in place, in <em>fear</em> as he spots Technoblade literally metres in front of him. Memories of the first and last hunt they had of the pig-masked fiend runs through his mind, his hair standing on edge as he literally couldn’t <em>move</em>.</p><p>“Take these, you idiots!”</p><p>“<em>STOP RIGHT THERE</em>!”</p><p>George realises that he had just been standing there, to which he responds by running towards the three criminals. <em>He couldn’t back out now, he can still stop them</em>.</p><p>“Dream, hurry up!”</p><p>“Shut up, I’m focusing!”</p><p>“Dream, now!”</p><p>George was pushed aside by heavy hands, landing on the rough dirt as he realised that the soldiers have reached to where they were. He looks up, horrified to find that the three had escaped once again.</p><p>“We almost had them!”</p><p>“Goddamnit!”</p><p>He didn’t want to listen to their frustrated cries any further, already sprinting away from the forest and back to the Headquarters. Upon reaching the gates, he freezes upon seeing Schlatt standing there.</p><p>“George,” He says in acknowledgement, nodding in the slightest, “What were you doing?”</p><p>“I-I-“ George straightens up, anxiety biting at his psyche as Schlatt stares at him. He takes a deep breath, saying, “I was going for a walk, then I found someone being suspicious so I went and followed after them. I didn’t realise it was Dream in the first place because he wasn’t wearing a mask.”</p><p>Schlatt’s eyes widen, “He wasn’t wearing a mask? You know what he looks like?”</p><p>He wished he didn’t say that.</p><p>“It was- It was dark, I couldn’t see clearly, but I.. I think I did. I can’t describe it, though, because it was.. it was dark,” He explains, wishing that his rambling would let Schlatt know that he doesn’t want to talk about it.</p><p>He tries not to look panicked as Schlatt smiles, his eyes having that evil glint in it.</p><p>“I see,” He says, “It would be a shame if I learned that you were allied with him or something- I could trust you, right? You’re not conspiring with them or whatever, right, you’re a <em>Warrior</em> after all.”</p><p>The freezing chill of the night seems to have caught onto George bone deep, fear was creeping in on him from having faced Technoblade and being interrogated by Schlatt himself.</p><p>“N-No, I’m definitely not,” He says, trying to sound offended, “I’m part of the group hunting Dream down, I’d never be allies with him.”</p><p>“That’s good, that’s good..” Schlatt looks away, as in deep in thought, “Well, I think you should be off. You’re dimissed.”</p><p>George nods, lowering his head as he passes by the man. He releases a breath once he’s out of sight, knees almost buckling as realisation seeps in inside him. Within the span of a minutes a lot had happened, he couldn’t process all of them properly.</p><p>He clenches a fist, only to feel something hard under his hand. He unravels it, eyes widening at the discovery.</p><p>On his hand was a greenish blue pearl.</p><p>
  <em>Why the fuck did he have an Ender Pearl?</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. 03 | the river</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>George has a dream that leads him to  remembering bittersweet memories.</p><p>Dream meets up with Wilbur, where he learns something that leaves him a bit.. distraught.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i'd like to say that i like the edited version better because i actually put a bit of thought into planning the events happening in each chapter, ahaha, the old fanfic felt all too impulsive for me.</p><p>i try to update as soon as i can, but i'll probably try to make regular updates like.. twice a week, probably</p><p>i hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>That night, George had a dream.</p><p>
  <em>“Clay, come over here!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A brown haired boy (he claims it to be dirty blonde, but everyone can tell it’s brown) looks up from the book he was reading, spotting his friends standing by the river. George beckons him over, wild hand motions gesturing for the boy to walk over. The boy merely smiles, raising his book with a shout, “I’m still reading, hold on!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Oh, come on, just get here, Clay!” Another one shouts, the person being Nate as he waves the boy over as well. Soon the whole group was calling for him to come over, to which the brunette laughs and finally caves into his friends’ pleading. They all cheer as he sits up from his spot under the tree, discarding the book he was reading as he jogs over to the river side.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“What is it this time?” Clay asks, crouching right beside George.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Look, I caught a fish!” George exclaims, feeling proud of himself as he lifts his bucket. He points over to Nick, saying, “Sapnap caught one too!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Hey, I caught a fish too!” Darryl says, raising the bucket that he brought to put the fish they caught in. “You guys want to go to Zak’s and cook this?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Why my place?! Why not at Wilbur’s house?” Zak whines, pointing at the other brunette. He then crosses his arms at Darryl, pouting, “I thought we were using the codenames? I’m Skeppy!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Okay, Skeppy,” Darryl giggles.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Your smoker’s better,” Wilbur tells Zak, shrugging. He hands over his fishing rod to Clay, saying, “Come on, fish with us!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I’m not good with a fishing rod,” Clay says, laughing nervously, “I’ll try though.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Come on, Clay, you can do it!” George cheers, standing beside his best friend. He holds his own fishing rod, showing the male how to do it, “It’s just like this, see? Go Clay, go Clay, go Clay! Just do what I do!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>As Clay reels in his catch, George’s heart stops as he finds </em>
  <strong>Bad</strong>
  <em> being reeled in by the hook instead.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>In an instant, the scenery had changed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He was no longer a kid. He was no longer in the plains by the river. His friends were no longer around him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“GEORGE!” Sapnap screeches, trying to avoid the fishing rod trying to hook on his clothes. George raises his own shield, hearing a loud </em>
  <strong>clunk</strong>
  <em> as he manages to deflect the hook.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“GUYS, TAKE COVER!” He hears, the voice echoing throughout the underground he hears a sickening crunch that lets him know Bad had been eliminated.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The last thing George sees is a white mask, the messily drawn happy face having green eyes. He suddenly couldn’t breathe, realising that he was underwater already.</em>
</p><p><em>“GEORGE!” The masked person says, the mask being swept off and revealing </em>Dream. <em>George sees red, bubbles escaping from his mouth as he yells out trying to reach for the criminal.</em></p><p>“George?”</p><p>He wakes up with a gasp, his forehead suddenly aching as he had sat up right after he had woken up. He takes a while to realise his surroundings, his breathing irregular as he tells himself that he’s not underwater. Turning his head, finds Sapnap on the floor, in a fetal position as he clutches his aching nose.</p><p>“Oh shoot- I’m so sorry!” George says, scrambling out of his bed to help Sapnap up. The guy merely raises a hand, signalling that he’s okay. George frowns, remaining seated as he asks, “Did I hit you hard?”</p><p>“No, I’m fine, really,” Sapnap sits on George’s bed, looking a bit worried, “Now are <em>you</em> okay? I was about to wake you up but I found you kinda.. wriggling in your bed. Did you have a nightmare?”</p><p>If George tried to focus, he couldn’t even remember what he dreamt about. He just remembers..</p><p>“Green eyes.” He says, causing the other to be confused.</p><p>“Green? You can’t see green, what the fuck, George?”</p><p>Well, he may be colourblind, but George knows what the fuck green is, okay? He only shrugs it off, mumbling about having a weird dream. Sapnap merely nods it off, since he couldn’t really deny that dreams are weird.</p><p>“The sun has just risen, but you look like you could use more sleep,” Sapnap says, eyebrows scrunching up in concern as he observes the other, “You look exhausted.”</p><p>The events of last night floods through George’s mind, and he felt the frustration pile within him again.</p><p>“Something happened last night,” He groans, covering his eyes with an arm as he lies back down. He then opens them once again as he sees nothing but last night’s events, and he’d much rather not have to think about that, “It’s complicated. I’ll tell you later.”</p><p>“Yeah.. I heard the alarms sound, when I woke I didn’t see you in your bed.” Sapnap says, standing up. George doesn’t miss the way Sapnap grimaces upon saying that, though he doesn’t question it. Sapnap stretches his arms upwards, saying, “Well, I’m gonna go jog for a bit, we can train after lunch if you want.”</p><p>“I’d like that.” George mumbles, eyes feeling heavy. Sapnap sort of taps him on the shoulder in a comforting manner before heading out of the room. He closes his eyes when he hears the door shut, and he was left alone.</p><p>George sighs, trying to remember the scenes he saw from his dream as he goes to stare up at the ceiling.</p><p>“Clay..” He whispers, the image of his childhood best friend flashing in his mind. His chest suddenly tightens, feeling so heavy all of a sudden. It’s been years since he’s last seen the guy.. he still doesn’t know where Clay disappeared off to. The last time they saw each other was.. the time they fished in that river.</p><p>As he closes his eyes to rest for a few more minutes, he instead sees a burning house.</p><p>All of a sudden, he was a kid, coughing from the thick smoke around. He could hear people screaming in fear, water being splashed all around, and he could hear himself <em>crying</em> hysterically.</p><p>He grimaces.</p><p>“No, no,” He whispers, feeling the tears rise up from his eyes. He wipes them off, cursing under his breath as he finally sits up. Why did he have to have that dream? Why did he have to dream about Clay of all people? He’s gone. He’s been gone for a long time.</p><p>George looks off to the side, seeing a calendar set up on the wall by Sapnap’s side of the room. His eyes narrow as he sees the encircled date, which was today, seeing Clay’s name.</p><p>It’s been a decade since Clay disappeared.. and yet he’s still not over him. He can’t seem to forget his best friend no matter how hard he tries.</p><p>He sighs, saying, “I need to visit the library..”</p><p>Looking at the time, he realises that it’s already time for breakfast. Not wanting to have left overs, he decides to leave the room and head to the mess hall. There’s not many people who gets up and eats right as the cafeteria starts serving, so he’s lucky to get a proper seat.</p><p>“Wow, you’re early,” He looks over to the side, seeing Quackity smiling at him, “What’s up?”</p><p>“Hello, Quackity,” George greets, deciding to sit with the male and eat his breakfast. He glances around in the room, seeing other tired Warriors eating and chatting amongst themselves. Turning back to Quackity, he asks, “Why are you here?”</p><p>Quackity sort of shrugs, responding, “Just wanted to eat here, man. Come on, I just wanted to see familiar faces!”</p><p>“Yeah, right,” George says sarcastically, though it’s all in jest as the guy whines at him in protest. The two were good friends, way before he went and ran as Schlatt’s vice president. He remembers joking with Quackity about running against Wilbur in the elections, though George wasn’t really serious about it. It was a bit of a shocker to him when he realised that Quackity was being serious about running for Office. He forks at the potatoes on his plate, asking, “How are you these days? I don’t think we’ve really talked this month.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Quackity sighs, sitting straight up as he goes to stretch his back, “Things have been tough these days. Schlatt’s got a plan, which I can’t really reveal yet, but I think he’s going to have an announcement about it in the afternoon.”</p><p>“Oh really?” George raises an eyebrow, a bit intrigued with the secrecy, “That’s interesting. Is it going to be good?”</p><p>“Oh, <em>definitely</em>,” Quackity grins, his excitement flowing off in waves as his voice gets louder byba fraction, “He’s been planning this for like weeks, we’ve been having these meetings and stuff, Tubbo’s pretty on board with the idea! He’s been going around and asking for opinions, being discreet of course so the surprise wouldn’t be lost, and it’s pretty great! I’m excited for it, you know?”</p><p>“I can tell,” George says with a hum, a bit amused with how wide Quackity was smiling. He goes to observe the guy beside him, seeing the dark circles under Quackity’s eyes that weren’t there before. His eyes go from his beanie-covered head to his neck, eyes widening a bit as he sees purple bruises by his nape. He quickly turns away as Quackity looks at him, making it seem he saw nothing.</p><p>“Oh hey look, it’s Bad.”</p><p>“W-What?”</p><p>“Good morning, George!”</p><p>He nearly jumps in his chair, looking up to find that Bad had joined them on their table. Someone else is beside him, that person being Skeppy.</p><p>“Good.. Good morning, Bad,” George smiles, a bit forced since he was still surprised at the situation, his eyes turn to the male beside Bad, “Skeppy.”</p><p>“Mornin’,” Skeppy greets, a hint of a smile on his lips as he starts to eat, “You aren’t with Sapnap today, weird.”</p><p>“He went jogging,” George responds.</p><p>Quackity speaks up, saying, “I know I’m not supposed to tell what it is, but you definitely have to go to the plaza later because..”</p><p>George zones out on the conversation, pushing his plate away as he’s finished eating. His thoughts return to what had happened earlier in the day, which was just an hour ago, thinking of the dream that he had.</p><p>He frowns, his thoughts going back to Clay. It’s been years.</p><p>Ah right, he needs to go visit the library.. and then the river.</p><hr/><p>“Hey, Illumina,” A foot nudges him, “wake up.”</p><p>Dream watches as the masked man groans in response, turning over in his makeshift bed. The dirty blonde haired man merely rolls his eyes, lightly kicking Illumina once again.</p><p>“Get up, Illumina.”</p><p>“Dream, shut up, I’m resting.”</p><p>Dream turns to the glass bottle in his hand, turning back to the man laying on the floor. He sort of shakes it, letting the red liquid inside swirl around noisily, saying “Do you want this Healing potion or not?”</p><p>That wakes up the dark-haired man, causing him to sit up despite his bruises and reach for the potion in Dream’s hand. This causes the green-clad man to snicker, sitting on the log nearby.</p><p>“What do you say, Illumina?”</p><p>The man merely flips him off as he lies down after drinking the potion, causing him to wheeze in laughter.</p><p>The three of them had camped out somewhere beyond L’Manburg’s borders, just by the boundary of a forest and the plains. The morning was quiet, save for the burning sound of zombies and skeletons as the sun has risen. It was a normal day for them, since they were self-proclaimed adventurers and didn’t really make a house for themselves to reside in. It’s not like they could bring the house with them everywhere.</p><p>“I only found a pig nearby, so here’s some porkchops,” Techno calls out towards the two from the campfire.</p><p>“I’ll follow when this Regen’s done.” Illumina says, passively waving a hand at them. Dream heads towards the campfire, taking a bowl of porkchop from Techno.</p><p>“What’s on the list for today, boss?” Dream jokes, taking a bite from his meal.</p><p>“Since Illumina’s down, we can’t really travel yet,” Techno points his bowl at the injured man, “We could get resources in the mean time, I guess.. we’re low on food and our weapons are almost used up. When’s the last time we went to a cave?”</p><p>“We also need more Ender Pearls,” Illumina calls out from his bed.</p><p>“That’s because you had to go and get yourself caught!” Dream tells him, though he doesn’t really look annoyed. Techno snickers at the interaction, leaning against the log they felled as he continues eating.</p><p>Dream hums to himself, eating his meal as he glances off into the plains.</p><p>Did he forget something?</p><p>Oh right, Wilbur mentioned about meeting at that river. He smiles a bit, remembering the last time he spent by the riverside, reading a book under the tree as his friends go around and play. Well, he did play with them a few times, but there were times where he was content with watching them instead.</p><p>He misses those times.</p><p>Well, it’s been years since he was even near L’Manburg, the reason why they’re blocks away from the country is because of Illumina being caught. He’s a little bitter from that, since he doesn’t really like the country anymore due to the numerous times they’ve been chased around by armoured soldiers. Techno had voiced out once that he’s so close to committing terrorism at the amount of times he’s been targeted, even saying that he saw a poster in the country about the three of them.</p><p>“I might go fishing at a river ‘round here, maybe find a cave and get iron ore,” Dream says, putting down his bowl and heading over to where they placed their supplies in the mean time. He sheathes his axe to his back, a pickaxe to his side, and takes a fishing rod. No one really recognises him from his mask, so it should be safe for him to be out in the open. It’s not like there’ll be people outside of L’Manburg. He glances back at the camp, calling out as he raises the bucket he took from their pack, “Be right back.”</p><p>“We’re going to leave this place when night falls, I’ll be healed by them!” Illumina calls out after him, with Dream merely replying with a thumbs up.</p><p>He walks all the way to the river through the forest, eyes peeled for anyone he might encounter. He always has an axe on him in case anyone tries to ambush him, but he’s still wary in case they have something up their sleeve. Being chased for over a year has taught him to be alert at all time, as if he can’t be given any rest. All he wants is to explore around and maybe find the Stronghold, but the country’s strict rules have taken hold of them even if they weren’t even part of L’Manburg anymore.</p><p>It’s always confused him.</p><p>Soon he’s reached the river, seeing that it has changed somehow. The tree that he used to sit below at was gone, though it was replaced with a sapling. It must have just been planted a few months back, noticing the way the ground seems to be old and he can see new leaves on its thin branches. He takes the fishing rod from his side, holding it back and throwing the hook into the water.</p><p><em>“Clay, come over here!</em>”</p><p>A smile places itself on his lips, the memory arising in his mind once again. It’s a short moment, but it’s one that lives in his head rent free, keeping him company as he reels in fish after fish. His mind envisions a little boy beside him, looking at him and demonstrating how to throw the hook into the water.</p><p>“Oh George,” He mumbles, a sad feeling washing over him as he goes to remember his dear friend. He can remember the goggles that the kid used to wear every time they went out to play, it was like his fashion statement. He chuckles, placing yet another fish into the bucket, “It’s been years, huh? A decade, probably.”</p><p>His eyes wander to the bank across from him, almost seeing a vision of him as a kid playing with his friends, all of them playing games ranging from something they call “bed wars” to “parkour”. He chuckles, the memory keeping him company.</p><p>“Clay?”</p><p>Dream reels back another fish, dropping it in the bucket he had brought. It was almost filled to the brim with fishes, and he’s already anticipating having cooked cod for dinner. He missed the time when the river was filled with salmon, times really do change. He turns his head, seeing a familiar face.</p><p>“What’s up, Wilbur?” He asks, wiping the sweat off his forehead and dropping the fishing rod onto the ground as he turns to face the guy. Hey, fishing might be easy to him but it’s not easy staying under the sun for almost the entire afternoon.</p><p>“Your tree’s gone,” Wilbur mentions, standing beside him as they observe the other side of the river.</p><p>“I noticed,” Dream sighs, letting nostalgia seep into him.</p><p>Silence.</p><p>“It’s been a while..” Wilbur murmurs, to which Dream doesn’t pay really attention to. Wilbur clears his throat, saying, “So you go by Dream now?”</p><p>“You got a problem with it?” Dream asks, a light hum in his voice trying to keep the conversation light-hearted. He doesn’t really have a problem with abandoning his old name and changing it to a new one; it was some dumb idea that Techno had to celebrate their “new lives” as adventurers. Down the old, on with the new. They stuck to it, however. He found it quite refreshing.</p><p>“Not really. It’s nice, I guess.” Wilbur chuckles, crossing his arms, “I’ve heard of the Warriors, as they call it, chasing down Runaways.. have you been chased recently?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Dream grumbles, rolling a shoulder, “There was a time where I almost broke an arm running away from them. They’re brutal.”</p><p>Wilbur gives him a glance, lightly fanning himself with a hand, “I just realised it was hot out here during this time of year- is there any shade nearby?”</p><p>“We have all these trees, Wilbur,” Dream says, motioning to the forest behind them, “I don’t know if there’s any shade nearby.”</p><p>Wilbur merely deadpans at him, causing him to wheeze into laughter as he turns away. It takes him a few minutes to calm down, wiping his tears with the collar of his shirt since he found it way too hilarious.</p><p>“Can you just- Can you just follow me, Clay- I mean, Dream,” Wilbur says, turning on his heel and walking towards the west. Dream takes a few seconds to hide his bucket of fish by a tree, following after the taller male.</p><p>He watches as his surroundings switch from oak trees to spruce ones, Wilbur leading him all the way to a clearing by the foot of the mountain.</p><p>“Welcome to my humble abode,” Wilbur says, waving a hand at the area in a fancy manner. Dream smiles in amusement, looking around.</p><p>“It’s.. It’s nice. You’re quite the decorator,” He humours, eyeing a pile of rocks covered in moss. To be fair, the clearing does look nice. The flowers give it a nice touch. He turns back to Wilbur, who had disappeared. He blinks, “Wilbur?”</p><p>“In here,” He hears Wilbur’s voice echo, and that’s when he sees the vines covering the entirety of the stone wall that turns the clearing into a dead end. He furrows his eyebrows, walking towards the vines and holding a hand out to it. He realises that the wall behind the vines were empty, pushing through them to find a cave well-lit with torches.</p><p>“.. Tommy, why is Tubbo here?” Wilbur says.</p><p>Dream looks to where Wilbur was looking, seeing two teens sitting by a make-shift table. He recognises them both; although they were still young way back then. He smiles a little, memories of the past surfacing even more. The two kids were a bit similar in terms of their hair, but he could see that Tommy resembled Wilbur more so it was easy to tell who was who.</p><p>“He had news!” Tommy says, standing up and holding a hand as if defending Tubbo, “He promised to leave early and I made sure no one was on his trail when he came inside.”</p><p>“If anyone finds us here, you’re dead to me,” Wilbur sighs, before turning to the man beside him, “Anyway, you were probably too young to remember, but this is Clay.”</p><p>Tommy stares at Dream.</p><p>“Kind of fuckin’ name is that?” He snorts, leaning back against the chair.</p><p>Cue Wilbur walking up to Tommy and smacking the blond upside the head.</p><p>“Ow!” Tommy exclaims.</p><p>“Shut up,” Wilbur says. Dream merely snickers at the situation, remembering similar situations with him and Techno while Illumina complains about them being like children.</p><p>“Just call me Dream,” He says, sitting on the chair that Wilbur has offered. He catches the way Tubbo’s eyes widen, causing him to tilt his head in curiosity.</p><p>“You’re- So <em>you’re</em> Dream?” Tubbo says, surprise evident in his face, “So you’re- <em>wow</em>, um, I thought nobody knew what you looked like- uh- Wilbur-?”</p><p>Dream watches as the kid looks around the room, though he almost laughs as no one but him understands why he was surprised.</p><p>“OH- So you’re <em>that</em> Dream!” Tommy exclaims, pointing at the male, “Goddamn, Tubbo, this must feel like an achievement, huh?”</p><p>“What- What are you talking about?” Wilbur asks, confused as he goes to take a seat as well. Dream could only laugh at the situation as Wilbur gets even more confused.</p><p>“So remember when I said there were these three Runaways that the Warriors were keen on catching?” Tubbo starts saying, his hands kind of shaking from excitement or fear, Dream doesn’t really know, before gesturing towards Dream, “You’re telling me this is <em>the</em> Dream?! He’s one of them! Oh god, I remember Sapnap telling me about an encounter that they had with you and it was crazy! I’m amazed at how you can beat them by yourself, they call you the Trickster, you know?”</p><p>“Oh, am I now?” Dream chuckles nervously, not really liking to be known as that. He then pauses, saying, “Wait, if you're not exiled like them, then why are you-?”</p><p>“I’m a spy for them, you see, because I work for Schlatt,” Tubbo explains. Dream turns to Wilbur with an alarmed look.</p><p>“Tubbo wouldn’t snitch, trust me,” Wilbur assures, “He’s mentioned about hating the Warrior thing Schlatt had made.”</p><p>"It's pretty brutal, even for me," Tubbo says, "He has people hunting other people down just because of the Stronghold. It's not like anyone has information about the Stronghold anyway, but he's just so adamant about having people be chased just because of that."</p><p>If Dream thinks about it, he’s been chased for more than a year now. Now he doesn’t know a lot about Schlatt, but if he really is as bad as Wilbur makes him out to be then the guy is probably that much of an asshole for creating a whole new occupation just to hunt down people looking for the Stronghold.</p><p>“Anyway, um, Tubbo, why are you here?” Wilbur asks.</p><p>“Oh right! Um, something happened last night, Schlatt was pretty pissed about it. I wanted to tell Tommy about it,” Tubbo answers, lightly shrugging with a smile, “Also I’m about to reveal that thing I was talking about that’s gonna happen in L’Manberg.”</p><p>“He was about to tell me then you arrived,” Tommy tells them. Wilbur gives him a deadpan stare, and the blond just shrugs, “Anyway Tubbo, we have an audience. Tell us then.”</p><p>“Well,” Tubbo slightly tilts his head, “Yesterday the Warriors managed to capture Illumina, he’s one of the three known Runaways-”</p><p>Dream doesn’t miss the glance the three of them gives him. Damn, he’s really that known by the Warriors for being a “trickster”?</p><p> “Illumina was an idiot, that’s all I have to say.” He tells them, lightly chuckling to hide his discomfort.</p><p>“-And, um, the alarms went off at around two in the morning because apparently Illumina managed to escape. Schlatt was really mad because apparently Dream was the one who helped him escape,” Tubbo says, glancing at the guy once again, “George was the one who reported it to Schlatt, I think. We had a meeting before I came here, Schlatt said that George was the one who knew it was Dream.”</p><p>Dream pauses, staring at Tubbo in disbelief.</p><p>“George?” He repeats, a face appearing in his mind at the sound of the name. If he remembers last night, it was.. <em>Gogy</em> who found him sneaking around the walls. He furrows his eyebrows, asking, “George as in.. as in Gogy?”</p><p>“Yeah, that’s his code name!” Tubbo says, smiling, “The Warriors had a code name system so when they go out their real names won’t be revealed or something. It’s something that Schlatt had implemented because he didn’t want Pillagers to storm in or something, I don't really know, I wasn't listening during the meeting about it. I found it really cool, though.”</p><p>Dream continues to stare, just.. just unbelieving at the fact that the very person he saw last night was his <em>childhood friend</em>. That was his childhood friend.</p><p><em>His childhood friend was one of the people who was hunting him down</em>. <em>He’s “killed” his childhood friend more than a few times.</em></p><p>Holy shit, he couldn’t comprehend this revelation.</p><p>“Are you okay, Dream?” Wilbur asks, concerned about the guy’s silence.</p><p>“I..” Dream stands up, deep in thought, “I have to go.”</p><p>Wilbur nod, understanding what he was going through. Dream quietly thanks them for the stay, heading out of their cave and running through the forests.</p><p>Gogy was George. George was his best friend when he was younger. His childhood friend was part of the group who was chasing him down.</p><p>It was a simple explanation but he still couldn’t process the fact that- how couldn’t he have noticed that it was George all this time? <em>What the hell?</em></p><p>“Oh fuck- my fishing rod,” He tells himself, turning back to go to the river. He manages to get to the tree where he hid the bucket of fish, realising that he left his fishing rod by the river side.</p><p>He heads out of the shade to go take his fishing rod, only to freeze in place as someone else has it in hand.</p><p>“That’s- That’s my fishing rod,” He says, his heart beating faster as the person turns towards him.</p><p>He doesn’t miss the way they glare at him upon sight, and his heart just <em>breaks</em> at the sight.</p><p>“What are you doing here, Dream?” Gogy- <em>George</em> says, holding the fishing rod as if he were holding a sword. Dream doesn’t really like the way he says his name in that hateful tone.</p><p>“George,” He says, sounding devastated. It’s George- it’s him in the flesh. All this time he had seen him but he never knew.</p><p>George’s eyes widen, almost looking afraid, “How do you know my name?”</p><p>Dream walks towards him. George takes an offensive stance; he looked afraid that it hurt Dream to see him like that towards him.</p><p>“George, it’s- it’s me,” He says, disbelief still within him as he observes his childhood friend- he’s grown taller (but Dream had grown taller than him), he had grown more muscular (it’s because he was a Warrior, isn it?), and he’s looking at Dream as if he were but a pest. Dream couldn't blame him- George was a <em>warrior</em>, someone like Dream was an enemy to him.</p><p>It just- It just <em>crushes</em> him.</p><p>“What do you mean “<em>it’s me</em>”, I clearly know who you are,” George says with that same tone full of hatred, "You're Dream."</p><p>Dream could almost laugh, this situation was so.. it was just laughable. </p><p>“It’s me, Clay,” Dream says, standing in front of the male.</p><p>He doesn’t miss the way George’s form falters, his eyes widening as he loosens his grip on the fishing rod.</p><p>“You.. what?"</p><p>"George, it's Clay," Dream repeats, "<em>I'm</em> <em>Clay</em>."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i loved writing this chapter oh my god-- aLSO OH MY GOD HOW DOES EVERYONE FEEL ABOUT THE DOOMSDAY STREAM??? I don't know how to feel :') I'm all up in my feels, omg</p><p>Also, if you want to interact in twitter, hit me up at @/cly_252! While I don't really tweet a lot, I'm pretty much active when it comes to reading tweets ahaha- i cant wait to get my new drawing equipment and draw art from my own fanfic ahaha</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. 04 | beaten memories</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>George didn't want to believe.</p><p>Dream wonders why he never came back.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>this took me a lot to write because oh my god i can't write angst for my lIFE- please tell me if i worded it properly, i need to improve on writing angst.</p><p>anyway, i hope you enjoy! this chapter is shorter than usual because.. i cannot write angst ;;A;;</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He went to the library and mourned for a few hours, just sitting by a corner table and reading a book that he remembers Clay loved the most- the librarian had given him looks of pity upon seeing him, they already know George because of this being an annual thing. Each year he comes on the same day, reading the same book, and mourning all the same. He trudged out of the library with dried tears on his face, having wiped them off time and time again while reading the book Clay loved the most- he could remember the younger one reading it to him with that same excited tone. He sneaked out of L’Manburg’s borders, heading to that river they all hung out at as kids, mourning all the same as he goes through memories that he only unlocks on this very day.</p><p>
  <em>It’s been 10 years since Clay had disappeared.</em>
</p><p>Or so he thought.</p><p>“It couldn’t be you,” George says, shaking in- what, fear? Disbelief? Dare he admits, happiness?</p><p><em>No</em>. It couldn’t be him.</p><p>He stares up at Dream- seeing the heartbroken look on the criminal’s face. For a split second he could see his best friend in Dream. If he stares longer, he can see the resemblance. He rubs his eyes- from tears or is he trying to see if they weren’t working correctly? Dream could <em>not</em> be Clay, <em>he could never be Clay</em>.</p><p>Unless..</p><p>“It’s-“ Dream lets out a laugh, looking off to the side as he lets out an exhausted laugh, “It’s me! It’s Clay! All this- All this time I’ve been- I’ve been.. running from you, and- and <em>you</em>! You were- You were George all this time! And I <em>never</em> realised that!”</p><p>George grimaces at the way Dream was laughing- it was all too familiar, <em>it was practically the same</em>.</p><p>He just couldn’t believe it.</p><p>“Clay?” He finally says, watching as Dream stops, turning to him. He tries to deny it even with the male’s affirming smile and excited look. George takes a step back, still deep in denial as he hears Dream confirm that he is, in fact, Clay, his best friend when they were just children playing by the river bank with all their friends. He tries to pretend he couldn’t hear once Dream lists down memories that only Clay could have, memories that only George could have remembered. He frowns, still denying everything, “N-No, you- you <em>couldn’t</em> be him, Clay is dead-“</p><p>“George, I’m- I’m clearly here!” Dream exclaims, his voice a mixture of exasperated and excited. He points to himself desperately, “Why are you killing me, why do you keep insisting that I’m <em>dead</em>? <em>I’m alive! </em>I’m Clay, I- I just-“</p><p>George stares- he just stares, realising that Dream had started crying somewhere along this confrontation. He was still talking but George had tuned out his voice, all he could stare at was Dream’s tear-streaked face as he gives more and more reasons why he was Clay. All George could do was find loopholes, find every little reason he can find just so he can deny that the person in front of him was indeed Clay. His mind had been screaming at him to believe, that it was Clay, that he was here, that he was alive, and yet he wouldn’t listen as he grows deaf from the alarms blaring in his head.</p><p><em>It couldn’t be him</em>, it just couldn’t.</p><p>But it <em>is</em> him, it was all the same! The dirty blonde hair kept messy at all times, the green eyes that was always so full of life and vigor, that familiar face that had definitely matured from the years he had spent growing-</p><p>It was him, it was all him, <em>it was Clay in the flesh</em>.</p><p>But how could it be? <em>How could it be Clay?</em></p><p>“How?” George says, still deep in disbelief. The voices in his mind had grown hoarse from shouting, from screaming, from yelling at him to just <em>believe</em>. And yet he couldn’t, he just couldn’t let himself believe it, he just couldn’t, it was all too sudden, it was all too large to comprehend. He nearly chokes over his words, “How could you- How are you alive, how are you <em>here</em>?!”</p><p>“I’m alive! I never died, George, I never- I never died, I just- I just-“ Dream suddenly stops, his eyes growing a fraction wider in realisation, “I just.. disappeared.”</p><p>“And- And you <em>never</em> came back!” George shouts, the voices in his mind shouting betrayal. He couldn’t understand himself, did he want to believe or did he want to deny it? The proof of Clay’s existence stands before him within a hand’s reach and yet he still didn’t want to believe. He continues, “You left and you never came back! You made us all believe that you were dead!”</p><p>“I never intended to,” Dream says, his voice sounding as if he were nearly seething in rage, “I didn’t even know you thought I was dead.”</p><p>When did this conversation become like this?</p><p>
  <em>What was this conversation to begin with?</em>
</p><p>“N-No,” George grits his teeth, unable to believe that this man- that <em>Dream</em> was Clay. He grips the fishing rod in his hand, ready to defend himself with it, “<em>Clay is dead</em>. He has been for 10 years.”</p><p>“George, I’m right here!” Dream tells him, taking a step forwards. He presses a hand against his chest, already desperately pleading, “I’m literally right here, it’s me!”</p><p>George takes a step back, nearly shaking in rage, “How could you be?! Why would you be? You’re <em>Dream</em>, you’re the Trickster! Why would I believe you?!”</p><p><em>I don’t know this man</em>.</p><p>“What proof do I need to give?!” Dream complains, completely devastated from the situation, “I’ve told you everything! Remember that book we used to read at the library?! And that- that time when we-!”</p><p>No. No, no, no, just <em>no.</em> He refuses to believe that he was <em>Clay</em>.</p><p>“Clay is dead!” George repeats, already yelling. He couldn’t stand it anymore- no, Dream was lying, he’s clearly lying! Clay has been dead for 10 years, this couldn’t be Clay, he just couldn’t be. He chokes on a sob (when had he started to cry?), sharply inhaling as he tries to regain his composure, “Clay has been dead. He’s gone. He’s gone!”</p><p>“What more do I have to tell you?! Just believe me, George, <em>please</em>!” Dream takes another step towards him, and George takes a step back. He doesn’t care if he’s already one foot in the river- no, he needs to keep his distance.</p><p><em>Who was this man and why does he keep trying to convince him that he was </em>Clay<em>?</em></p><p>“<em>No you’re not</em>,” George seethes, moving away from the river and standing at a distance from Dream. He turns, his eyes already red from the tears he’s been shedding, saying, “If you’re- If you’re Clay, then <em>why now?</em>”</p><p>Dream stops in his tracks before he could take another step towards George.</p><p>George glowers.</p><p>“If you’re Clay, wouldn’t you have recognised your <em>best friend</em> the first time we saw each other?” He continues, tone slowly filling with more and more poison that he was almost intoxicated with it. The alarms have been blaring in his mind, deafening him from any other thought that keeps him from convincing himself that no, <em>Dream is not Clay</em>.</p><p>“George you-“ Dream chokes on his words, turning away as he goes to wipe his tears, “How could I?! How could I when you guys- you guys keep trying to <em>kill</em> me!”</p><p>“You know it’s forbidden to find the Stronghold!” George shouts, throwing the fishing rod he had in hand towards the ground, “I have a job, it’s to capture people <em>like you</em>. Clay would <em>never</em> think about finding it, he’d never break the rules like that.”</p><p>“What?!” Dream laughs, throwing his hands up in emphasis, “Clay would never this, he would never that- George, how could you call yourself my best friend?! <em>Maybe you never knew Clay at all!</em>”</p><p>This entire time the threads had been so close to snapping, and that was the final straw. The sirens have stopped, and all that George could feel was a freezing chill immediately replaced by boiling rage so raw he felt like he could have combusted.</p><p>“Shut- Shut the hell up!” He bellows, already reaching out with a striking fist as his hand meets Dream’s face. He fights the ache shooting up his arm, trying to wrestle against Dream’s arms as he tries to attack, “Don’t tell me that I never knew Clay! Don’t tell me that- <em>never tell me that!”</em></p><p>“Stop, George- let me go!” Dream growls, managing to deflect George’s fists, “Why don’t you just believe me?!”</p><p>“If you were Clay, <em>you would have come back!</em>” George yells, instantly feeling weak as his punches grow slower and slower, “We wouldn’t have to spend years mourning, we wouldn’t have to spend years missing you, <em>we wouldn’t have to meet like this!</em>”</p><p>“So you believe me now?!” Dream exclaims, pushing George that he falls back with a thud.</p><p>George stands up, breathing heavily as he wipes his tears with the back of his hand.</p><p>“<em>You can never be Clay</em>,” He seethes, breathing through gritted teeth as he glowers at the man on the ground, “<em>Don’t even try to convince me you’re him</em>.”</p><p>“But I’m right here,” Dream says, his voice cracking as he can no longer hold back the sobs, “I’m here, <em>I’m right here, George</em>. Just believe me, <em>please</em>.”</p><p>He can give in to the sincerity in his voice. He can give in and admit defeat as he matches Clay’s face to Dream’s. He can kneel and hug him again as he’s always wanted to do upon meeting him again.</p><p>But,</p><p>“You’re not Clay.” George tells him, actively avoiding the yelling and screaming in his head telling him to give in, to forfeit, to <em>believe</em>.</p><p>He turns and heads back to L’Manburg, avoiding the way his body grows heavier with each step. He combats this, his walking turning into sprinting as he blindly pushes through trees until he’s pushing through people as he makes a desperate attempt to return to the headquarters.</p><p>He avoids the voices calling for him, the voices shouting in protest as he bumps into them- he avoids them all.</p><p>What have the voices done for him? <em>What good have they told him?</em></p><p>
  <strong>If you only believed him, you could have Clay back.</strong>
</p><p>“He’s not Clay.”</p><p>
  <strong>If you listened, would you have believed?</strong>
</p><p>“<em>He’s not Clay.</em>”</p><p>
  <strong>It’s him. It’s Clay. </strong>
</p><p>“<em>He’s not Clay!</em>”</p><p>“George!”</p><p>He looks up, eyes blurry from the tears that have pooled in them. In his fogged vision he sees Sapnap, and he desperately reaches for him.</p><p>“George what- what happened to you?” Sapnap asks, helping him up.</p><p>George was a mess. He looked like a mess; his shirt was all rumpled up and caked with dirt, his knees bruised and wounded as his pants had holes from when he had fought with Dream, his eyes red and puffy from endlessly shedding tears- he looked horrible.</p><p>“It’s- <em>It’s</em>-“ George chokes on his words, letting his sobs take over as his body trembles.</p><p>He was so tired, he was so <em>so</em> tired.</p><p>“It’s going to be alright, George,” Sapnap whispers, just holding the broken man as he tries to comfort him as much as he can, “We.. We miss him too.”</p><p>It just wasn’t any easier that today was Clay’s death anniversary.</p><p>“<em>He’s gone</em>,” George cries, pressing his head against Sapnap’s shoulder as he sobs the pain away.</p><p>“I know,” Sapnap grimaces.</p><p>It just wasn’t any easier that Sapnap didn’t understand.</p><p>Clay was gone.</p><p>No, not dead, George had wanted to believe that he was alive, that <em>Dream</em> was telling the truth.</p><p>Yet he fucked it up.</p><p>Clay was gone.</p><p><em>He lost him</em>.</p>
<hr/><p>George thought he was dead.</p><p><em>Everybody thought he was dead</em>.</p><p>Dream had spent the rest of the night at the riverbank, releasing his anger at the trees as he swung his axe at their trunks. He yelled, he cried, he screamed- he did everything he could just to cope with what had just happened.</p><p>George was there- he was just there at an arm’s distance. <em>He was there and he lost his chance to keep him there.</em></p><p>If he thought about it, George was right. Why didn’t he come back? Why didn’t he return? Why did he choose to disappear 10 years ago and make them believe he was dead?</p><p>Wait no, it was <em>them</em> who believed he was dead. They killed him when he wasn’t even gone.</p><p>But he was, he <em>was</em> gone, he just disappeared on them.</p><p>“<em>Goddamnit!</em>” He yells, his arms already aching as he swings at the tree he was abusing. He falls back from the recoil, falling onto the ground as he trips over a root. He stays down, staring up at the sky as the stars seem to mock him from up above. He can almost hear them whispering amongst themselves, making fun of him for losing a chance he never even thought he had.</p><p>He sits up, looking at his hands. They were bruised and battered from the way he handled the axe, tired from gripping its wooden handle.</p><p>He looks up at the tree, regret pooling in his stomach as he sees the way it was beaten. Parts of its bark were stripped off, uneven cuts creating jagged marks in the wood- this was his doing.</p><p>“Are you done?”</p><p>He turns, eyes wide as he finds Wilbur standing nearby.</p><p>“What are you doing here?” Dream asks, his voice hoarse but it still had an edge of anger in it.</p><p>“Well, I live nearby,” Wilbur glances at the tree he had beaten up, commenting, “Anyone nearby would have heard you and George screaming each other’s head off.”</p><p>His heart sinks into his stomach, fear creeping into his body as Dream says, “You heard that?”</p><p>“I doubt anyone from L’Manburg heard it,” Wilbur assures him, “It’s just me.”</p><p>Relief washes into him as Dream lands back on the ground, shutting his eyes as he worried for nothing. He had beaten himself up that he doesn’t have to fight any Warriors that might find him.</p><p>“.. George did have a point,” Wilbur tells him, “We thought you were dead.”</p><p>“I know that much, Wilbur,” Dream retorts, sitting up as he goes to glare at the man. Wilbur merely shrugs. Dream sighs, looking back up at the tree. His axe was still deep into the wood, having been swung so hard from the adrenaline rushing through his veins. He frowns, “I just didn’t.. I never meant to disappear.”</p><p>“I’m not sure if I’m the one you should be telling that,” Wilbur chuckles then crosses his arms, “Though I was surprised to learn that you were still alive. Took me a while to comprehend.”</p><p>“.. Just how much did you see?” Dream asks, finally standing up after spending minutes sulking on the ground. He makes an attempt of pulling his axe from the tree, wincing at the way his hands ache from trying to even grip it properly.</p><p>“Not everything, maybe halfway through,” Wilbur responds, “I didn’t hear much, if that relieves you.”</p><p>“I’d rather you didn’t hear anything at all,” Dream grumbles, finally pulling his axe off. He sheathes it onto his side before rubbing his hands together, wincing at the way the friction just makes them hurt further. He stops, asking, “.. Wilbur, if you were me, would you have come back?”</p><p>He turns to the male, seeing that he’s just staring as if musing over the question. Dream raises an eyebrow, “So?”</p><p>“I would have come back,” Wilbur says, “Unless there was a reason as to why you didn’t return.”</p><p>Dream stays silent. There was, there <em>was</em> a reason for his disappearance, though he’s not sure if he can come into terms with it yet. The words stay on his tongue, never leaving. He could say it, he could finally tell it to someone other than Techno and Illumina, but he.. he doesn’t.</p><p>Wilbur stares, “There is, isn’t there? Aside from the fact that you’re a Runaway.”</p><p>“It’s close, but not quite,” Dream tells him. He walks towards the direction of their camp, saying, “I could tell you but.. not now.”</p><p>“Are you going? I was going to ask you something,” Wilbur calls out.</p><p>“I have to go,” Dream says, turning to look at the male. He averts his eyes, saying, “On second thought, you can ask me tomorrow. I have a favour to ask from you.”</p><p>“As do I,” Wilbur chuckles, “What is it about?”</p><p>Dream opens his mouth to speak but deciding against it, shaking his head.</p><p>“I’ll tell you tomorrow,” He says, “I’ll go to your.. cave thing.”</p><p>“It’s a house, Dream.” Wilbur corrects him.</p><p>“House. Sure,” Dream rolls his eyes, “I’m off.”</p><p>He makes sure not to look back as he goes through the forest, not even having to look around as he’s memorised the area heading back to their makeshift camp. He soon sees the light of the campfire in the distance, the glow growing brighter with each step he takes.</p><p>“What’s up,” He greets, coming from the trees as he finds Illumina and Techno eating.</p><p>“Where the hell were you?!” Illumina exclaims, seeing his battered appearance, “Were you running from a Warrior?!”</p><p>“Kind of?” Dream shrugs, collapsing onto the log as he lets out a pained groan, “It was such a pain in the ass, I only had my axe.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Techno glances at his bruised up hands, “We could see that.”</p><p>“Shut the hell up, Techno.”</p><p>“Sure.”</p><p>Dream takes a bowl for himself as he gorges on the food they cooked. He didn’t realise he had beaten himself until he was starving.</p><p>To be fair, that fight with George took long.</p><p>The memory causes him to frown, nearly losing his appetite.</p><p>George was there. He was already there- he’s always been there in L’Manburg. Why didn’t he just come back?</p><p>Memories of fire appear at the back of his mind, ones that he made sure to forget.</p><p>“Dream?”</p><p>He blinks, turning to Illumina, “What?”</p><p>Illumina stares at his tear streaked face, choosing not to say anything as he shakes it head, “Nothing, it’s.. it’s nothing.”</p><p>Dream stares down at his bowl, letting memories run through his head as he silently lets the tears wash off any pain still lingering inside.</p><p>Techno chose to stay silent as well, though he turned away in respect as he lets the man work through what he’s going through.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>in the first draft of this chapter, i was suppose to have them make up</p><p>but it's just the fourth chapter, it's too early for that :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. 05 | regrets made</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Runaways have a dilemma because of a creeper.</p><p>George finds himself walking to a bakery to talk to someone.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>oh my god this was almost 5k words- i was on a typing spree for this chapter, aaaaaaaa</p><p>hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Dream, you sure you can do it?”</p><p>“Shut up, Illumina,” Dream grumbles, lightly wincing as he pulls the lead tied to a piece of wood that Techno felled a few minutes ago. The ache in his hands continuously shoots up his arm, but he actively avoids this as he pushes on with the task at hand. He exhales, taking in deep breaths as he endures the pain distracting him, “I’ve had worse days.”</p><p>“Sure, Dream, sure,” Techno tells him, easily passing by him as he steadily pulls his own lead towards the campsite they’ve decided to stay at, “Keep injuring yourself, that’ll help you feel better.”</p><p>“I drank a healing potion earlier!” Dream defends.</p><p>“Yeah, like two minutes ago,” Techno gives him a deadpan look, “Give me the lead, Dream, you know those take like ten minutes of pain.”</p><p>“I know that much, Techno, we literally learned from the same Cleric,” Dream rolls his eyes, finally giving in and handing the male the lead he had and trudged on towards their campsite, lying down on his makeshift bed. As he lies down he feels the potion starting to take effect, causing him to choke on air and grasp at his chest.</p><p>While potions were something they were lucky to have in their inventory, the process of letting the potion affect them is rather.. difficult on their body. They assume that it was because their bodies aren’t used to handling god-like effects.</p><p>“Push through it, Dream,” Illumina calls out from afar.</p><p>Dream sucks in a breath through gritted teeth, his veins burning in pain as the potion forces his body to heal. The ache in his arms slowly disappears as the minutes pass by yet there’s still an intensifying burn flowing through him as the potion fully captures his body. He exhales, shutting his eyes as he endures through its effect by curling into himself. His body feels hot and cold, sensitive and numb, constricting and contracting all at the same time.</p><p>Sure, the potion is healing his body from whatever injuries he’s sustained, but the way it heals him is actual <em>suffering</em>. He could feel the back of his eyes burn as tears forcibly spring from his tear ducts, actually causing him to cry from the pain.</p><p>“Damn, Illumina’s reaction was much funnier,” Techno snorts as he took a moment to watch Dream handling the healing effect, “He was screaming the entire time.”</p><p>“I-I definitely did not!”</p><p>“Sure, Illumina.”</p><p>That was enough to make Dream let out a wheezing laugh in the midst of him groaning in pain, but it immediately transitions into coughing as his chest starts to constrict.</p><p>He groans, leaning his head back as he clutches a hand over his chest. This was the worst part of the effect, where it starts to affect his heart for at least three minutes.</p><p>It was the last moments of the potion’s effect, but it was the part that causes the most excruciating pain. He felt like he was burning, like his veins were about to pop in several places at once. <em>This is pure suffering</em>.</p><p>He chokes on air, his breathing turning irregular as he tries to balance out the pain by pinching himself. It didn’t work, of course, but slowly he could feel the potion’s effect fizzing out as his body starts to feel numb, feeling light-headed as he slowly sits up.</p><p>“How many minutes has it been?” Dream asks, throat feeling sore as he wipes the tears he had shed. His body was still buzzing, feeling as if he were floating from how numb he feels.</p><p>“Eh, around ten minutes,” Techno responds, shrugging as he hands over a glass bottle of water, “Illumina got this for you, drink up.”</p><p>He reaches for the bottle, greedily pushing the rim onto his lips as he goes to chug the entire thing down his throat. He hears a snicker, but he couldn’t really care less, he felt parched after that whole experience.</p><p>Potions were a godsend but boy do they have to make you feel like you’re suffering.</p><p>“That’s like.. one of the last potions, right?” Dream asks, wiping the excess water that had dribbled down his lips. Some of them had streamed down his neck and into his shirt- he looked like he didn’t know how to drink water from a cup. He looked like a mess, basically.</p><p>Techno gives him a disgusted glance, nodding anyway, “I think we have one more healing potion left, the rest we still have around.. two to three each. They’re really just for emergencies so that’s good enough. It’s not like we could go back to the Cleric and ask for more.”</p><p>Dream falls back on his cot, shutting his eyes as he lets the forest breeze course right through him. He muses upon Techno’s words, memories of a Cleric praising him for a good job in brewing the correct potion. Unanswered questions appear in his mind, ones that he’ll never get to know the answer for as he sees silhouettes of Pillagers in the darkness.</p><p>He sits up in fear, breathing heavily as he tries to erase the memory of those grey-skinned fiends. No, <em>no</em>, anything but those.</p><p>He thinks back to their current situation.</p><p>While they did say that they were going to leave the night before, he had that <em>incident</em> that they couldn’t leave as soon as they could. The events of last night swiftly run through his head that he nearly short-circuited at the thought of it. It felt like it was just a breeze but it ended up to be a tornado that had torn through his mind and left all the mess in his heart. He grimaces, shaking the memory away.</p><p>(<em>Of course he was grateful to Illumina and Techno for not questioning whatever had happened to him last night; he wasn’t really sure how they would feel if he just up and told them that one of the warriors chasing them turned out to be his childhood best friend. What were the odds of that?)</em></p><p>He hears footsteps coming from the forest, already reaching for his axe when relief washed over him as he realises that it was just Illumina.</p><p>“Hey,” He greets, waving over at the two of them. He jabs his thumb as he points towards the forest, saying, “I scouted the area, there’s surely no warriors currently roaming around. I think we could go and- <em>HOLY SHIT GUYS</em>-!”</p><p>Before they knew it, there was a hissing sound from behind them, and neither of them could act fast enough to move their items.</p><p>Dream had managed to stand up and run into the forest, barely in time for the Creeper to explode their campsite into bits. The impact had thrown him against a tree, causing him to groan as he practically faceplants against a trunk. He groans, hands shooting up to cover his ears as the explosion had rendered him deaf. It took a little more for the ringing to stop, and suddenly he could hear again as he knocks his hand against a tree, using it as a gauge of his hearing.</p><p>“How the <em>hell</em> did we not see that?!” Techno yells in distraught. Dream turns back to where their campsite once was, heart sinking as he sees that half of their items had been destroyed in the explosion. He spots his axe around the edge of the wreckage, immediately taking it and sheathing it onto his side. At least he has his axe, at least he still had it. It was a precious diamond axe after all.</p><p>“Where are the potions?! The resources?!” Illumina panicks, going around the area. He spots Techno holding the potions bag, causing him to sigh in immediate relief, “Oh, thank fuck we didn’t lose that!”</p><p>“I managed to grab the bag.. we still got our tools, too..” Techno points out, eyeing the items bundled over in a heap around the edge of the explosion, “.. which looks pretty broken but we can pretty much work from there. Everything else.. well, what else is salvageable..”</p><p>They spend the next thirty minutes going through the destroyed campsite and arguing whether or not an item was broken beyond repair or not. Dream had argued with Illumina that they could salvage a fishing rod that had snapped in half, with Dream defending that they can just tie cloth around its snapped point and they could use it as normal and Illumina saying that it’s better to just make a new fishing rod instead.</p><p>“Well, that happened,” Illumina sighs, staring over the destruction, “Where the hell did the creeper come from?”</p><p>“I didn’t even notice it, clever son of a bitch,” Dream laughs, shaking his head. Even he was caught off guard by the sudden hissing noise, it took him more than a second to register that there was a threat behind them. He goes to eye the resources they have left, saying, “We got a few iron, a few gold.. though that’s not enough to make armour, is it?”</p><p>“It’s enough to repair the tools we still have,” Techno says, standing by the pile of broken weapons and picking up his most favoured weapon, “My sword.. took me weeks to perfect this.”</p><p>Dream wanted to laugh at how distraught he sounds, but he wasn’t <em>that</em> much of an asshole. Techno spends literal hours perfecting his weapons; he even had endless sparring matches with Dream just so he can gauge what more he needs to improve on his sword so he could utilise it better. He can remember the late nights he’d spend just working on the anvil just so he can use it to the best of his abilities.</p><p>Though it sort of saddened him that this started over a year ago, Techno’s obsession with perfecting his weapon happened because of the Warriors after them nearly every week. Back then, all they had to mind were the creatures that spawn in the night, having gotten used to facing the monstrous mobs that the entirety of L’Manburg fears. Now they had to keep their eyes peeled for any guards or Warriors out on the “hunt” for them.</p><p>Even Dream didn’t care much about crafting a perfect axe before getting involved with the Warriors, though he slowly found himself gravitating towards the same obsession as he grows more and more attached to the diamond axe he had made years ago.</p><p>“Well, we have to start from the bottom again, don’t we?” Illumina groans, throwing his head back in frustration as he presses his palms against his eyes, “Creepers are the bane of my existence, I <em>fucking </em>swear!”</p><p>“They’re worse than Endermen,” Techno grumbles in agreement, fixating a glare towards the small crater where the creeper had set off, “What are we going to do now?”</p><p>“Well, um, we could probably kill a couple cows, strip them for their leather for new bags, maybe find a cave too?” Dream suggests, lightly shrugging.</p><p>“.. Dream, did you manage to save your mask?” Illumina asks, his voice void of any tone.</p><p>Dream blinks, turning to where Illumina was looking at. He finds his mask on the ground- well, half of it was buried in the ground. He swallows, tugging at his collar, “Well, that’s.. unfortunate.”</p><p>“Wait,” Techno walks over to it, tugging it out of the dirt to find that it was still intact, just incredibly dirty. He turns to his companions with a deadpan look, “How did this survive the explosion?”</p><p>“What can I say, I’m superior,” Dream jokes, walking towards Techno and snatching the mask off his hand. He wipes off the dirt and slips it on, sliding it to the side of his head as he always does when he doesn’t really wear it, “Thank you very much.”</p><p>“Yeah, sure,” Techno rolls his eyes. He turns towards a certain direction, pointing off towards the south, “Now if I remember correctly, we passed by a ravine when we got back from the south when we tried to see if we could find a desert. We could just hang out there ‘til we’re fully stacked again. I know there were some wild animals there so food is</p><p>“Oh yeah, I remember that, we ended up finding an ocean instead,” Dream laughs, the memory of them making a boat and failing badly because they couldn’t make one that didn’t sink about ten blocks into the water. He wheezes, saying, “Imagine we really swam through it, how many days do you think we would have spent ‘til we found another island?”</p><p>“I don’t even want to think about it,” Illumina sighs, picking up what’s left of their items, “I assume you know the way, Dream, you’re the one with cartographer knowledge here.”</p><p>“It’s obviously that way,” Dream points towards the south, “It should take us around.. half an hour to get there, I think. We still got some lead, right?”</p><p>“I got them,” Techno says, pulling out the lead from the potions bag and showing it to them. He shoves it back in, sighing, “It’s a good thing I manage to save the potions..”</p><p>“Right, right..”  Illumina ties the lead he has in hand around the weapons they managed to salvage, lugging it over his shoulder, “Lead the way, Dream, we better get there before sunset.”</p><p>Dream scoffs, “It’s around midday, sunset’s not for..”</p><p>He takes a moment to look at the sky, squinting at the sun as he makes mental calculations. He remembers learning after a cartographer and being taught about how to tell time just from the sun.</p><p>“.. like a couple of hours or so,” He continues, turning back to his companions. “Anyway, let’s go.”</p><hr/><p>Everyone was worried- of course, of course they’d be worried about him. It was Clay’s supposed death anniversary, nearly everyone knew that he still honoured that day. That he was still mourning even after ten years. People had given up on telling him to move on, it’s just not that easy for him.</p><p>He wanted to laugh at himself- he wasted the last ten years of his life mourning for someone who he thought was dead. It was pathetic.</p><p>He didn’t know how to cope, having actively avoided everyone since waking up.</p><p>He talked to absolutely no one; not even Sapnap, Karl, Bad, Skeppy, Ant, Quackity, Tubbo- no, no one! He didn’t want to. He couldn’t talk to them, not after that episode he had last night. Every time he encounters them in the hallway his footsteps grow quicker, bowing his head down as he sputters a half-assed lie as he makes his escape.</p><p>And yet here he was, standing by the counter as the scent of baked goods seep into his clothes. Cinnamon seems to waft through the air, and judging by the way there were a tray of freshly baked cinnamon rolls by the counter it’s not a shocker as to why it smells like it. He places his hands deep into his pockets, just standing as a passerby as he looks at all the delicacies he could buy. He didn’t really bring any Emeralds to buy anything, he just wanted to visit.</p><p>“Oh, good to see you here, George,” Niki greets, passing by him from across the counter as she neatly places cinnamon rolls onto a serving tray to be displayed by the counter, “What made you come here, today? Did you want to buy something?”</p><p>His eyes glance over to the array of baked goods, unconsciously licking his lips at the thought of eating any of them.</p><p>“No, I just.. came to visit,” He responds, eyes glancing up at her then back on the baked goods on display. His eyes keep scouring over the cinnamon rolls- if he were to be honest they looked like something he could snack on right now. They just seem <em>that</em> good. He hears a chuckle, looking up to find that Niki had placed a single piece of a cinnamon roll onto a plate and slides it over to his side of the counter. He sheepishly backs up, placing his hands up as if surrendering, “O-Oh, no, it’s fine, I was just-“</p><p>“It’s fine, George, you can have one. It’s on the house,” She assures, lightly chuckling. He tries to avoid her understanding gaze, that look she has that lets him know that she knows what he’s here for. She heads towards one end of the counter, opening the latch and pulling the half-door open, “Let’s chat in the back, you’re lucky I was about to go on a break.”</p><p>It’s not like George knew when her break times were; he’s been here more than a few times with Sapnap just so they can chat with Niki and Puffy and snack on some cookies or cakes. It helps that they were sort of close friends with the two, even if the most that they do is listen to the two go over gossip they’ve heard from customers as the Warriors nods along with whatever they were hearing.</p><p>He’s a proud Warrior, sure, but sometimes listening to gossip was just interesting. They were often topics of conversation for him and Sapnap, randomly giggling about it as they make inside jokes during dinner or before they go to sleep.</p><p>He doesn’t waste a second as he just heads over to the door, releasing a breath as he greets the other workers as he passes them by. He goes through the staff room, watching as she pulls out two chairs from the table set up inside.</p><p>“So what’s up?” Niki asks, hanging her apron by a hook as she goes around the kitchen inside the staff room. She goes to fill a kettle with water, placing it by a furnace.</p><p>George muses over her question, wondering if he should go with a sugarcoated answer or to just straight up tell what had happened.</p><p>
  <em>But would he believe her when he says he saw Clay?</em>
</p><p>“Hold on, what day is it today?” She says, sounding a bit panicked as she heads over to the calendar hanging by the door. She lightly gasps, turning to him, “Oh god- I’m so sorry George, I forgot about-“</p><p>“Niki, it’s-“ He flashes a quick pained smile, shame washing over him as even he forgot the plan they had made, “-It’s fine, I forgot about it too. I was sort of busy yesterday so I didn’t get around to even doing it..”</p><p>His mind brushes over a memory from a month ago, when he and Sapnap were accompanying Niki around town as she was tasked with buying ingredients from a store that was opposite from where the bakery was. They passed by the library that Clay’s family used to own, and a conversation was brought up about how their death anniversary was coming up. They made plans about buying flowers from Puffy’s shop and placing them at the library to commemorate their death, which comforted George with the fact that he used to mourn alone during the day itself.</p><p>He grimaces, averting his eyes to the side as he did mourn by himself yet again, but there was a twist at the end of it.. literally.</p><p>“We could still do it around this week, I have a day off in two days if you want,” Niki offers, kindly smiling. He smiles back, though he couldn’t keep it up for long. The kettle suddenly whistles, startling the both of them as the atmosphere was silent. She chuckles it off, taking the kettle from the furnace, “Do you want anything to drink? I was about to go make some tea.”</p><p>“Tea is fine, I guess,” He smiles in gratitude, turning back to the table. He twiddles with his fingers, trying to collect his thoughts together while Niki goes to make drinks. His mind slowly fills with alarms, the very same sirens that had been going off in his head ever since he learned that Clay never died in the first place. They corrupt his mind further and further, his being sinking deeper into the icky mess of denial and disbelief. He could feel the sick feeling creeping up his body until he was neck deep in them, and he was brought back to reality by a mere tap on the shoulder.</p><p>He looks up, realising that he had been clutching his hair with his forehead pressed against the table. Niki stands before him, eyebrows scrunched up in worry as she slowly retracts her hand.</p><p>“What happened yesterday, George?” She asks, the sincerity in her voice combating the deafening alarms in his mind. He thickly swallows, glancing at the table as he looks for anything that could help him get his thoughts straight. She pushes a cup towards him, the dark liquid inside reflecting him as he stares at his face.</p><p>All of a sudden, he knew what to say.</p><p>“It was..” He bites his lip, bringing his hands to hold onto the cup onto the table. The burning sensation of the tea’s heat hurts, but it somehow helped with distracting him from absolutely anything else. He glances back down at his reflection, seeing his own look of loss. He doesn’t really know how to feel. He sighs, leaning back against the chair as he speaks, “It was.. a difficult experience. A lot happened yesterday.”</p><p>“I did hear that,” She says before jumping at the way George suddenly looks at her with wide eyes. She smiles sheepishly, taking a sip from her cup before placing it down, “Sapnap came here earlier with Bad and Skeppy, they just bought some cookies but Sapnap stayed for a little while. He said that you didn’t want to talk to anyone.”</p><p>“.. Did he say anything else?” He asks, finally taking a sip of his own drink. The heat burned his tongue, but he didn’t really mind. He let the tea warm him from the inside, realising that he had been feeling cold the entire time. He shivers upon noticing this, keeping his hands on the cup to keep him warm. If he thought about it, the cold seasons had started and it was slowly growing colder and colder as days pass.</p><p>“He did say he was worried,” She tells him, her eyes roaming around the room as she tries to remember what Sapnap had said, “He admitted that he felt like a bad friend because he couldn’t help you cope properly with.. Clay’s loss. He felt like he wasn’t doing a good job with helping you move on.”</p><p>Guilt pools in George’s stomach, staring down at his drink as he observes himself through the dark liquid. He frowns, realising that he may have been the bad friend in this situation. He imagines Sapnap just watching him sulk and cry over Clay- yet now that he knew that the guy had been alive the whole time, he couldn’t help but nearly crush the cup under his hands as he’s reminded of last night’s events.</p><p>“Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?” Niki says, her voice still so soft. It grounds him back to reality, letting go of the cup as he realised that he had been glaring into his drink for a while.</p><p>“No, I just- I-“ He stammers over his words, guilty that he may have scared her or something. He sighs, “It’s.. it’s a bit complicated but..”</p><p>He sucks in a deep breath, staring into his drink as he lets his mind lose control of his words.</p><p>“Something happened last night, and I got into a fight with someone,” He sees her eyebrows shoot up in surprise, and he quickly assures her, “It’s not with Sapnap, trust me, it’s.. it’s with someone else.”</p><p>She slowly brings up her drink to her lips, nodding along to his words. He turns back to his drink, letting it be the one to ground his emotions and let him able to speak without getting all emotional.</p><p>“I got into a fight, one thing lead to another, I was screaming, I was shouting, I threw the first punch in, I think,” He winces at the memory, rubbing his left hand over his right knuckles as he remembers the ache shooting up his hand at how instantaneous his punch was, “It was.. it got pretty ugly. I just remember.. breaking down in the middle of it and running away. I remember just shouting.. <em>words</em> that just spews out of my mouth. I wasn’t even thinking, I was just.. I was just yelling.”</p><p>He brings up a hand to his throat, remembering how raw it felt when he yelled at Dream. It terrified him to know that he’d shout like that, he’d never felt that angry before.</p><p>“Is this connected to Clay, if I may ask?” She says, still holding her cup close to lips.</p><p>He averts his eyes. She takes his silence as a yes.</p><p>“Did you want the fight to happen?” She asks once more, being slow with her words as she waits for his reaction to confirm if she’s not overstepping any boundaries.</p><p>It’s what he likes about Niki, she was always so kind and understanding of others. She was good with talking about feelings, being a guide in between how he felt and how he needs to come into terms with them. He’s opened up a few times that he felt bad that he always went to her when he needed to clear his mind, but she assured him that she didn’t mind as she likes helping him anyway. She liked the company.</p><p>“No,” He admits, biting the inside of his cheek as last night’s memories flash through his head. His voice becomes a whisper, “I’d rather it ended differently.”</p><p>She nods at his answer, saying, “I think the answer is obvious, George; making up with the person is one thing you could do. I’m not saying you should do it now, give it time, you know? I’m sure they’d understand.”</p><p>“How do you know that?” George mumbles, tracing the edge of the cup with his thumb, “I’m not even sure if I understand them..”</p><p>
  <em>I don’t know how to understand why Clay never came back.</em>
</p><p>“It was a gut feeling, really,” She tells him, smiling kindly, “I’m sure you know them better than I do-“</p><p>He winces as he hears Dream shouting ‘<em>Maybe you never knew Clay at all!</em><em>’.</em></p><p>“- and I’m sure it would work out in the end,” She says, now placing down her cup, “You’re a good person, George, I know you didn’t want the fight to happen, you said it so yourself. If it’s about Clay then.. I’m not sure how I could help. I’m sorry.”</p><p>“It’s fine, Niki,” He slightly smiles, “I’m just.. coming into terms with a lot of things. A lot- a lot happened last night and I just needed a long time to process everything.”</p><p>“I see.. have you processed it all?” She asks again, pouring more tea into her cup. She then adds, “If I may ask, that is.”</p><p>“No,” He admits, bitterly chuckling, “It’s a lot to take in. I’m not sure how to understand it.”</p><p>She purses her lips, bringing up her cup and swirling the liquid around. He watches the tea slosh around, oddly finding it satisfying.</p><p>“You’ll come around to understanding it,” She assures him with a smile, “It’ll take a while, sure, but you’ll manage it.”</p><p>“I know.” He quietly says, taking another sip from his cup.</p><p>“Also, I think you need to apologise to Sapnap too,” She chuckles, “He looked really sad for you, it made me uncomfortable. He’s better smiling.”</p><p>He flashes a smile, a genuine one, chuckling along with her, “Agreed. Sapnap should never be sad.”</p><p>They move on to other topics, mostly gossip that Niki had to offer. He always gets astounded every time she has new stories to tell, he didn’t really know that their town had so much gossip getting passed around. It ranged from mistresses to thieves to friendships torn over relationships. It was more surprising that Niki knew a lot of gossip, he’d always thought that she’d keep to herself and avoid the flapping lips of those who thrived in talking smack about other people.</p><p>Soon he had finished the tea in his cup and the cinnamon roll in his plate, standing up as he gently announces he’s leaving. Niki thanks him for his company, reminding him of what they had talked about before leading him out of the bakery.</p><p>George looks up when he had stepped out of the establishment, seeing the sky’s gradient sunset through his impaired vision. He’s reminded of the goggles that he used to wear as a kid; it was a technician’s invention as it helped him properly distinguish colours from one another. He muses over this until he gets into headquarters, suddenly stopping as he’s faced with Karl and Sapnap by the stairs.</p><p>His feet nearly dragged him away, but he decided against it. He stays planted from where he stands, watching as Sapnap stares at him from where he was standing as well.</p><p>“Sapnap,” He calls out, forcing out the words. He wants to keep them in- his mind is telling him to keep them in, but he couldn’t, and he badly needed to let the words spew from his lips before he could regret. He nearly looks away, but he pushes on through, saying, “Can we talk?”</p><p>He expected a disappointed look to be shot his way, instead being surprised as Sapnap flashes him a smile.</p><p>“Of course, George,” He says, sounding rather relieved. George felt bad, Sapnap had always been the one who reached out to him when he was going through something.</p><p>A thought then rises in his mind, one that nearly made him regret his current situation.</p><p>
  <em>Should he tell Sapnap that Clay was alive?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>That Clay had been Dream this entire time?</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i know that both in the canon lore of the DSMP and in real life that niki and george don't interact a lot, but i really love niki a lot and i just like the idea that she's good friends with george and sapnap :))</p><p>i spend most of my time on my fanfic that ive thought of the ending already aaaa- if you check the tags, i wrote that there are two endings; the endings are connected, but trust me there's two of them.</p><p>aLSO AAAAA I APPRECIATE THE COMMENTS A LOT!! thank you for liking my story aaaaaa i really hope you enjoy the plot! i spent a lot of time just thinking about what happens next that it takes up most of my time ahaha &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. 06 | plans made</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sapnap has always been a good friend, George thinks.</p><p>Dream meets up with Wilbur and hears of his plans.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>aaaAAAAA I SPENT FOUR DAYS WRITING THIS AHAHA- i went and revised a whole section because i forgot that dream and wilbur were supposed to meet up about something aHAHA</p><p>hope you enjoy!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So,” Sapnap says, his voice soft, calculating, slow, “What’s up?”</p><p>George’s mind burns, all traces of the words he wanted to say suddenly combusting into flames as he stares up at the burning pyres in horror. The smoke of shame seems to waft in the air, almost suffocating him as the scene before him unwinds and rewinds over and over again, trying to test the words on his tongue as he practices how to tell them in his head. His eyes burned at the flames, melting out from the heat of his slowly overwhelming emotions.</p><p>The words are there, yet he can’t seem to piece them together. He had the foundation, the materials, yet he couldn’t word them into a perfect concoction of what he wanted to convey. He could build cathedrals but all he can manage is a dirt shack.</p><p>Sapnap merely sits there beside him, averting his gaze towards the sky as he hums a gentle tune. George follows after his eyes, the burning pyres disappearing from his sight as he instead sees the dull gradients of the steadily setting sun. It has yet to set for another couple of hours, but he could almost see the bits of dusk slowly showing in the horizon.</p><p>When George said he wanted to talk, the both of them went to his “happy place”. It was deserted, as usual, and it was the perfect place for him to collect his thoughts. He managed to stay calm despite the chaos that was continuously raging on in his mind.</p><p>“What happened yesterday, George?” Sapnap asks, his tone concerned, worried, calming. It gave him a sense of security- Sapnap’s always been like that. He had a way of words that helped you feel as if you were safe; he cared more than one would think.</p><p>George had definitely underestimated how much he cared.</p><p>“I-” The words don’t choke him anymore, but he does hold a gate over his tongue before he could say anything. He takes a deep breath, looking down at his open palms. He stares at the lines in them, tracing the patterns so he could ground his emotions better. He exhales, letting the words flow after keeping them in, “I got into a fight.”</p><p>
  <em>Really, George? That’s what you’ve been keeping in all this time?</em>
</p><p>No, he bites his lip, that’s just the premise of what he wants to say. He doesn’t know how to unveil it all, it’s still too much for him to process. He doesn’t know how to say it if even he doesn’t understand what he’s saying.</p><p>“Yeah?” Sapnap murmurs, urging him to continue.</p><p>“I got into a fight,” George repeats, his eyes suddenly roaming around as he tries to find the words he wants to say, “And it got pretty bad. I was so mad that I- I didn’t recognise who I was. I was mad, <em>angry</em> rather. It seemed.. it- it terrified me, really.”</p><p>“Well, yeah, I can’t see you being genuinely mad,” Sapnap says in jest, trying to lighten the mood as he nudges George’s leg with his. A hint of a smile grows on George’s lips, and Sapnap takes it as a sign that he’s doing it properly, “So.. um, what did you fight about?”</p><p>George internally thanked him for not asking whoever he fought with.</p><p>But then he didn’t know what to answer, because it was connected to <em>who</em> he had that argument with.</p><p>“It’s.. it’s about Clay,” He admits, now clasping his hands together as if trying to comfort himself. His gaze lands on the fence, remembering the time when he had met Dream in person for the first time, even seeing what he looked like. He nearly scoffs, remembering the moment when he thought the guy was familiar. Turns out he was actually Clay the entire time, huh?</p><p>“Oh,” Sapnap’s voice dips, plunging into realisation as he bows his head and keeps his gaze down in shame, “I’m.. I’m sorry I didn’t come with you to the library.”</p><p>George chuckles bitterly, “It’s alright, I’m used to it, honestly. This has been happening yearly.”</p><p>
  <em>Yeah, never again next year since all that mourning ended up to be a waste.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I spent 10 years mourning for nothing.</em>
</p><p>“Still,” Sapnap frowns, keeping his gaze down as he twiddles with his thumbs, “You don’t always have to be alone when the day comes.”</p><p>“Niki said we could still do the plan in two days,” George mumbles, “That’s her day off.”</p><p>“Oh, really? Sweet,” Sapnap nods, looking back down after momentarily giving George a surprised expression, “When did you visit?”</p><p>“Earlier,” George responds, “Helped me arrange my thoughts a bit. Told her about the fight.”</p><p>“What did she say?” He asks, eyes flicking up for a second as he observes George’s reaction.</p><p>George shifts in his seat, eyebrows furrowing, “Well, um, she said I should.. make up with the person I had an argument with.”</p><p>Sapnap snorts, “No shit.”</p><p>The comment breaks the tension, with George freely laughing as he did not expect Sapnap to say that as a response. His shoulders shake in ease, loose of its tense posture as he throws his head back at how hard he was laughing. The burning pyres were no longer there, relieving him of any smoke that had been suffocating him before. Soon he hears Sapnap giggling alongside him, saying, “What, it’s the truth!”</p><p>“I know- I-I-“ George takes a moment to recollect himself, his laughter dispersing into giggles as he tries to regain his composure, “I- she also told me to apologise to you.”</p><p>“Oh? For what?”</p><p>George nearly flinches from the way Sapnap’s mood suddenly changes, from giggly and lighthearted to serious and concerned, eyebrows suddenly shooting up in curiosity.</p><p>“You know,” George says, taking it slow as he tries to piece together words that make enough sense, “I wasn’t being easy on you all these years. I always shut you out on,” He chokes on the words, “Clay’s death anniversary.”</p><p>“Yeah, you’ve always been unfair,” Sapnap frowns, almost pouting as he crosses his arms childishly, “I miss Clay too, you know. He’s not just <em>your</em> best friend, George.”</p><p>“Yeah,” George chuckles, “I know.”</p><p>Memories of their childhood resurface, remembering the sleepovers they’d have at each other’s houses. He remembers the countless hours they’d spend just begging their parents to let them have sleepovers, even if they already had three of them in that week alone. He remembers the time they had a camping trip with the whole group at their favourite riverbank, the three of them sharing a tent that Clay had brought as they giggle under one large blanket and share midnight snacks as they babble on about scary stories. He remembers reading books at the library, giggling amongst themselves as they read the dialogue in a vast array of funny voices they seem perfect for the character they were reading for.</p><p>It brings a smile to his lips, feeling warm from the memories. It slowly starts to burn him instead as his mind stretches his thought from happy childhood memories of Clay to bitter recent memories of Clay- or <em>Dream</em> as he goes by now.</p><p>“You’re seriously scary, dude, you always look so pissed at absolutely <em>nothing</em>,” Sapnap says, chuckling away the nervousness he felt. George blinks, suddenly realising that his eyebrows had been scrunched up, forehead knotted, and eyes hardened every time he even thinks about that fight he spent with Clay. Sapnap exhales, his breath shaky, “What’s up with that, dude?”</p><p>“It’s..” George lets the words lay flat against his tongue, his mind slowly taking a few of those words away as he censors his thoughts. He interlocks his fingers, as if he was trying to hold himself together, “It’s something that I’ve been coming into terms with. There’s something I-“</p><p>And there it happens, the words choke him once again, an invisible knife threatening to slice his throat open if he even dares to lay everything out in the open.</p><p>No, <em>no</em>, he has to say them.</p><p>Should he or should he not?</p><p>His eyes burn as he slowly sees the pyres forming once again, his hand holding a steadily burning match as a line of gunpowder ends just by his feet. He holds the decision if he should let the pyres light up in flames or if he should hold back and stomp the match out.</p><p>The fire slowly licks at his fingers, already halfway through the match in hand.</p><p>Maybe not now, he think as he blows the match out, maybe when he already understands, when he already accepts what he had realised.</p><p>“Something you what?” Sapnap asks, grounding him back into reality as he was slowly losing himself in the fiery pits of rage and anger, of distraught and angst, of misery and disbelief.</p><p>“There something I can’t tell you right now,” George tells him, sounding small and vulnerable at that moment. His lip nearly trembles, transferring it to his leg instead as he tries to bounce the anxiety away, “It’s something that I- that I don’t understand yet, I just.. need time to think it over, you know?”</p><p>“Is it that difficult for you?” Sapnap asks, sounding concerned instead of disappointed, which was something that George had expected him to sound since he had been waiting all this time and George had been holding him at a distance as he tries to go and fix everything on his own.</p><p>“Pretty much,” George answers, grimacing as the words leave a bitter aftertaste on his tongue, “I don’t think I’m able to tell you unless I can understand.. whatever this is.”</p><p><em>Whatever this is</em>, he mocks himself. He clearly knows whatever this was.</p><p>“I get it, dude,” Sapnap chuckles, his tone relieved and void of any tension, “Take your time. You know I’ll always be here, dude.”</p><p>“I know,” George mumbles, taking a deep breath and releasing it along with all the stress he’d been holding back. It’s as if exhaling had taken the weight of off his shoulders, relieving him from hiding so much from Sapnap again.</p><p>That had been a flaw of his, he’s always held everything to himself. He didn’t let anyone in, he shut them out as he tries to find his own solutions to his own problems.</p><p>It’s a good thing Sapnap’s always been understanding- but still, George hadn’t really been a better friend all this time.</p><p>“Anyway, we should head back. Karl and I passed by Ant once and he mentioned something about meeting up with the team since he heard valuable information,” Sapnap says, standing up from the bench then stretching his arms upwards, “He seemed pretty excited about it, really.”</p><p>“Oh, alright,” George follows after him, giving one last glance at the darkening sky before following after Sapnap’s retreating figure. His mind runs over to last night’s memory once again, frowning at the thought of Dream actually being Clay.</p><p>
  <em>But he is, right? Dream is Clay. He’s proven it. George just doesn’t want to believe it.</em>
</p><p>“Hey, Sapnap?” George calls out, mind numbing as he prepares his next question.</p><p>“Yeah?” Sapnap glances back at him, slowing down his pace so he’s walking right next to George, “What is it?”</p><p>“What would you do if Clay’s still here?” George asks, his voice growing softer than he thought. He nearly bites his lip, trying not to spill everything right then and there. He holds back the dam threatening to overflow, blinking his eyes rapidly as he tries not to think about what had happened the night before.</p><p>Sapnap smiles, then chuckles, “I’d probably be teasing him right now. Though that’s.. that’s just a dream.”</p><p>The dam breaks, and yet only a drop was spilled.</p><p>George chuckles as well, wiping it away, “Yeah.. just a dream..”</p><p>
  <em>Just Dream.</em>
</p><hr/><p>He may have miscalculated how far the ravine was.</p><p>It’s already sunset.</p><p>“Hmm, it should take half an hour for us to get there,” Techno says for the nth time, obviously making fun of Dream, “Sunset’s not for a couple of hours-“</p><p>“Shut the <em>hell up</em>, <em>Technoblade!</em>” Dream shouts, embarrassed for having mistaken the distance from where they were to the ravine, “I thought it was nearer!”</p><p>“Yeah, you thought,” Illumina laughs, joining in on teasing the male, “Hmm, <em>now</em> should it take us half an hour to get there?”</p><p>“<em>Illumina!</em>” Dream whines, already hiding his face in his hands as he tries to will away his shame. They weren’t really mad at him, but he especially didn’t like it when the two of them team up and tease him relentlessly. He groans, peeking through his fingers, “I’m sorry, alright?”</p><p>“Sure, buddy, wait for half an hour,” Illumina repeats, laughing when Dream had continue to whine, “Alright, alright, calm down now! We can camp here for the night and continue as soon as we wake up.”</p><p>Dream sits up, taking his seat around the campfire as it had been growing colder and colder the past few days. The cold season is here, though they were going towards the south so it shouldn’t be as cold where they are now.</p><p>He mindlessly hums, staring up at the darkening sky as his mind goes back to last night. He closes his eyes, the memories flashing behind his eyelids.</p><p>Argument with George.. losing George.. why didn’t he come back to L’Manburg..</p><p>His mind numbs.</p><p>And then he remembers Wilbur’s retreating figure into the trees, asking him about a “favour”.</p><p>His eyes open.</p><p>“Oh shit-“ He suddenly stands up, taking a spare torch from the items they manage to salvage from the explosion. He turns to his confused companions, saying, “I have something I need to do.”</p><p>“O..kay?” Illumina slowly nods, giving him a thumbs up, “Sure, uh, when will you be back?”</p><p>“Err, I don’t know, but I’ll be back,” He tells them as he slings his bag over his shoulder, waving as he goes to run towards L’Manburg’s direction. A memory resurfaces from his childhood where he did the same exact action exiting out of his house, meeting up with George and Nick at an intersection and the three of them sprinting their way to school.</p><p>He chuckles, adrenaline running through his veins as he narrowly evades arrows from skeletons. He’s juked a few creepers into exploding a group of mobs, laughing as he looks back at the zombies, spiders, and skeletons flying from the explosion.</p><p>He glances at the forest where he had that argument with George, grimacing as he remembers how George just jumped and tried to beat the shit out of him. He’s pretty pissed that George actually hit him, but he can’t really blame him since he had been killing them all this time.. though not exactly since he doesn’t know how they just explode into white dust when he had dealt a killing blow.</p><p>It’s like they have multiple lives, it was creepy!</p><p>He might ask Tubbo the next time he finds the kid at Wilbur’s place.</p><p>He slows down to a jog, extinguishing his torch as he tries to remember the path to that clearing. He wanders through the darkness, squinting through what the moonlight allows him to see.</p><p>He finally gets to the clearing, seeing the vines hiding the cave behind them. He can hear Tommy’s boisterous laughter echoing, followed by a rather concrete wack with Tommy shouting “Ow, that fuckin’ hurt!”</p><p>Dream doesn’t hold back a laugh, pushing through the vines as he declares his appearance in their cave. He turns to where they were, sat by their makeshift table.</p><p>“Dream,” Wilbur suddenly stands up, looking a bit bewildered, “Bloody hell- I thought someone had heard Tommy and his fuckin’ laugh.”</p><p>“I did,” Dream wheezes, shaking his head, “I did hear- you’re lucky it was just me.”</p><p>“Told ya,” Tommy says, followed by Wilbur smacking him upside the head again, “Ow- oi, Wilby, you ought to stop doing that!”</p><p>“Sure.. so anyway, Dream- wait,” Wilbur turns to Tommy, staring at him with an amused look, “Did you just call me Wilby?”</p><p>Dream felt light headed at how hard he laughed upon seeing Tommy’s reddening face.</p><p>“N-<em>No</em>!” He shouts, embarrassment wafting off of him, “I called you Wilbur!”</p><p>“You just called me Wilby!” Wilbur exclaims, his smile wide that it just caused Dream to laugh even further, almost falling onto the floor.</p><p>“Oi- oi <em>dickhead</em>!” Tommy says, trying not to look so embarrassed. He turns to Dream, pointing, “Oi, I didn’t call him Wilby, <em>right</em>?!”</p><p>“I-I think you-“ Dream wheezes, having to look away since he’s laughing too hard, “I think you definitely did, Tommy!”</p><p>“<em>Shut the fuck up!</em>”</p><p>It takes them a while to calm down, mostly Dream since he was still wheezing at how Tommy had looked.</p><p>“You okay now, bud?” Tommy grumbles, turned away from both adults as he continues eating his meal.</p><p>“Just peachy,” Dream says, chuckling out the last of his laughter as he puts up an okay sign. Tommy just rolls his eyes, turning back to his food. Dream then turns to Wilbur, who was still all smiles from the prior event, asking, “So, what was the favour you needed?”</p><p>Wilbur suddenly pauses, remembering about the conversation from the night before. He stands up that causes his chair to skid back, surprising Tommy.</p><p>“Follow me,” Wilbur says in a low voice, motioning with a curl of his fingers as he walks deeper into their cave. Dream follows after, blinking as he sees that there was a crack in the wall hidden by a boulder. He walks after Wilbur, eyes widening at the ravine hidden within. Wilbur chuckles, “Welcome to Pogtopia, Dream.”</p><p>“Pogtopia?” He repeats, amused, “What, you made your own little country?”</p><p>“Not exactly,” Wilbur shrugs, “Tommy named the place, he insists on calling it that. This is merely a base of operations for us.”</p><p>“Base of operations?” Dream questions, looking around the underground ravine. The place was well kept; lanterns descended from the ceiling illuminating the place, the ground below seemed to be mined and shaped into proper flooring. They definitely did renovations, considering the fact that they’ve been here for over a year already.</p><p>“I don’t intend on staying out here, Dream,” Wilbur tells him, getting to the ground after a long walk down the stairs, “L’Manburg is my home, it’s an unfinished symphony that I need to get back to.”</p><p>“Mm, poetic,” Dream hums, still looking around. He spots a map of L’Manburg taking most of the space of one wall, a ladder placed by it. He sees red markings at multiple parts of the map, though he doesn’t question it. He glances at the crafting bench, asking, “Hey, Wilbur, could I do something at your crafting table?”</p><p>“Go ahead,” Wilbur says, standing up the map as he muses over it. Dream nods, heading over to the table and placing it bag on it. He takes two compasses out of it, taking out a pair of tools from his bag as well. He starts tinkering with it, sprinkling redstone every now and then as he modifies both compasses. Wilbur sighs, “What do you think would it take for me to get back to L’Manburg, Dream?”</p><p>“I dunno,” Dream lightly taps against the compass with a tiny pickaxe he had crafted specifically for compasses, “Threaten Schlatt?”</p><p>“I’ve thought of that,” Wilbur says, now pacing around the room, “I’ve thought of killing Schlatt, having someone assassinate Schlatt- I’ve thought all terrible things against Schlatt, Dream, but I can’t really choose which one I want to do.”</p><p>“You just want to kill Schlatt?” Dream asks, still tinkering around with the compasses, “That’s.. something.”</p><p>“But killing Schlatt wouldn’t do anything,” Wilbur stops, his voice lowering, “It wouldn’t do anything except flood me in bad light- it wouldn’t do anything that benefits me.”</p><p>“Sure could benefit you, you’re eliminating your rival,” Dream mumbles, picking up the compasses and moving it around, watching as its arrows point at each other, “What is it that you want, really, why did you ask me here?”</p><p>“You’re a Runaway,” Wilbur says, turning to Dream with an unreadable look on his eye, “You’ve fought countless of Warriors, you know how to get out of the most ridiculous situations- for fuck’s sake, they call you the <em>Trickster</em>, Dream. I think you know where I’m going with this.”</p><p>Dream turns to him, eyes narrowing, “I don’t kill people for nothing, Wilbur.”</p><p>“No, Dream, this isn’t for nothing,” Wilbur turns back to the map on the wall, looking up at it, “It’s to save L’Manburg.”</p><p>“Let me rephrase,” Dream stands up, facing him fully, “I don’t <em>kill</em>.”</p><p>“You’re a Runaway,” Wilbur repeats, his back turned on him, “You’ve “killed” their Warriors many times, Dream.”</p><p>“I did it to stay <em>safe</em>,” Dream defends, annoyance pricking him, “I wouldn’t even do that if they weren’t the ones hunting us down in the first place!”</p><p>“<em>Us</em>?” Wilbur asks, turning to him, “Ah, right.. I remember that fellow you were with the first time we met near L’Manburg.”</p><p>Dream pauses, remembering how Techno had almost revealed himself. He grimaces, wondering if he should say anything or not.</p><p>“Yeah, Techno,” He says instead, “If anyone’s bloodthirsty, he’s probably the right guy to call. He’s ruthless.”</p><p>Wilbur thinks for a moment before shaking his head, “No, no, not now, I could deal with Schlatt later.”</p><p>He faces the map once again, heading up the ladder after he grabs a blue dye from the table by the wall, “Tubbo said that there’ll be a festival in L’Manburg, right here.”</p><p>Dream watches as he draws a circle at the plaza, he can still remember how L’Manburg’s map was structured. Of course, he’s seen it a million times before during his childhood.</p><p>“I could sneak in- should I? I can kill Schlatt myself, or I can-“ Wilbur starts to mumble amongst himself, a hand pressed against the map where the plaza was located, his murmurs becoming a whisper as he continues to speak to himself.</p><p>Dream quirks an eyebrow in amusement, turning to the compasses and testing them out again. They point at each other, following after one another whenever one of them moves. He eyes some parchment and quills on a separate table, taking one for himself as he write a short note on it, signing his name, and wrapping one of the compasss with it.</p><p>“- so how about that, Dream?”</p><p>“What?” Dream turns to Wilbur, who had a crazed look on his face, “Wilbur, I- I wasn’t really listening, you were just muttering things.”</p><p>Wilbur frowns, though he chuckles, “It’s fine.. it’s fine, don’t worry about it. I was just planning things for.. the festival.”</p><p>“Sure,” Dream takes the compass, saying, “So, Wilbur, does.. Tubbo, was it? Does he swing by here, often?”</p><p>“He comes pretty much every day, I’m sure,” Wilbur tells him, coming down the ladder, “Why?”</p><p>“Hm,” Dream holds out the paper-wrapped compass, “I need to give this to George.”</p><p>Wilbur stares at him.</p><p>“He’s practically your enemy, Dream, you’re giving him a compass that points to you?” He says, concerned.</p><p>“No, not me, basically the compasses point at each other,” Dream tells him, “It’s George’s choice if he wants to bring the compass with him anywhere, I don’t really care, frankly. But.. you know, if he ever wants to, like, talk, I guess, he can come to me anytime. I’m just going to hold on to this compass ‘til he does.”</p><p>“He’s a Warrior, Dream,” Wilbur says, “Are you sure about that?”</p><p>“Positive,” Dream responds in full confidence, “So, can you tell Tubbo to give this to George?”</p><p>“<em>This</em> was the favour you were asking me for?” Wilbur asks, taking the compass from Dream.</p><p>Dream laughs, “Definitely.”</p><p>“That’s sort of a suicide thing for you, isn’t it? You’re practically baiting yourself into getting thrown into jail.”</p><p>“I don’t really care,” Dream says, “I know George.”</p><p>“Do you, now?”</p><p>Dream turns to him with hardened eyes, “I just know it, Wilbur.”</p><hr/><p>“.. so the thing you wanted to tell us was- was a <em>ravine</em>?”</p><p>“It’s a ravine!” Ant says, looking pretty excited, “No, no, hear me out- it’s not just <em>any</em> ravine, it’s like- it’s deep into the ground! Some miners said it could have a chance of having diamonds in it! I just want to check it out, please!”</p><p>“I think it’s a good idea, we can get our own material for the next hunt,” Bad says, smiling, “We usually just let Ant slave away in the mines, but this time we can help him!”</p><p>“I mean, we can just help him in the mines, right?” Sapnap frowns, “It’s dangerous to, like, go out, right?”</p><p>“Listen, Sapnap, the mines in L’Manburg are <em>brutal,</em> the miners are always competitive on whoever finds the best quality ores. But in a ravine? Sapnap, those usually hold ores of the best quality. They’re literal gold mines for us miners!” Ant explains, “And most miners are pretty chicken to go check out that ravine- but we’re Warriors! We <em>know</em> our shit, why not go there and take the ores for ourselves!”</p><p>“You know that we have to talk to Schlatt about this, right?” George says, looking up from his meal.</p><p>“That’s the first thing I said, George!” Ant says in exasperation, “Look, one of us can probably talk to Quackity or Tubbo to get to Schlatt and permit us to go out of the borders- and hey! It’s a bonus if we manage to capture a Runaway! What do you think?”</p><p>“I’m pretty on board with the idea, I like it,” Bad smiles, “I sort of want to find this ravine too, it’s interesting.”</p><p>“Yeah, you’ve never been in the mines, Bad, that’s why you’re interested,” Sapnap snorts.</p><p>“Hey, I’ve been to the mines once! Skeppy went with me,” Bad frowns, “Don’t look down on me.”</p><p>“Yeah, sure.”</p><p>“So.. we’re just going to a ravine?” George asks, raising an eyebrow, “Getting materials and all that?”</p><p>“That’s pretty much the plan, Gogy,” Ant grins, “Come on, it’ll be great! I can finally teach you guys about how to know which ore is the best type of ore!</p><p>He goes on and on about the ravine, though George felt that something was off.</p><p>He had a bad feeling about it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>one, sapnap is precious smh i cant wait to draw him<br/>two, i swear this fic is dnf it's slowly building there </p><p>three, tHANK YOU FOR THE COMMENTS AAAA I SWEAR I FEEL SO HAPPY WHEN I READ THEM &lt;3 thank you for liking my fanfic!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. 07 | in preparation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Dream finds a ravine, staying in it as it was rich with resources, as Illumina had claimed.</p><p>George goes with the team to the ravine that Ant was keen on going to.</p><p>A ravine, huh?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>first of all aAAAAA THANK YOU FOR READING MY FANFIC I APPRECIATE IT A LOT &lt;3 i wish i can give each of you a hug, i really appreciate it!!</p><p>secondly, i couldnt really stop thinking about the fanfic so i just kept on typing and typing and now i have a whole chapter :D I hope you enjoy this update!!</p><p>also i finished this chapter while watching ranboo's stream, aHAHA THAT'S HOW MUCH I WAS THINKING ABOUT IT</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So, um, so this.. this <em>ravine</em>,” Dream says, staring down into the crevice into the ground. It was wide; it’s like someone was digging through the area and loosened the dirt, causing it to drop down and unveil the hidden ravine. He shudders at the thought, realising that there might be tons of hidden ravines that’s a shovel away from being revealed. He tugs at his collar, chuckling nervously as he glances at his companions, “It’s.. deeper than I thought.”</p><p>It was definitely deeper than they thought it would be, as ravines usually end by the ground level where coal and iron ores can be located. They were convenient for Runaways to just take resources and take shelter for the mean time before going out on the run again, but this ravine.. it was a legitimate gold mine.</p><p>However this wasn’t the ravine that they were supposed to go, that one was much shallower than the one they just discovered. It was just paces away from a river, and boy was it <em>huge</em>. He scales the bottom, his body shuddering in excitement as he sees that the ground below was just shadows. They know it had a ground since Illumina threw in an empty glass bottle and they heard its shattered pieces echo throughout the place as it scatters from the impact.</p><p>“Deep as it goes, I’m sure we have enough lead to get us down there,” Techno says, staring down into the chasm, a shudder running up his spine. He glances up at his companions, saying, “Who’s going down first to scout the area?”</p><p>“Dream,” Illumina answers almost immediately, not even giving them a glance, “He should be first.”</p><p>“What-“ Dream gapes at them, feigning betrayal as he places a hand on his chest, “Why me?!”</p><p>“You have quick reflexes and you like getting things done at a fast pace,” Illumina tells him with a deadpan tone, still not sparing him a glance. He motions to the ravine, “Now go.”</p><p>Like a child who had been scolded, he grumbles and stomps over to where Techno had tied the lead to a rock, making sure it wouldn’t tear as soon as Dream has depended his weight on it. Dream gives him an uneasy look, to which Techno just shrugs at.</p><p>“You can do it,” He says, though it wasn’t as inspiring as he hoped it would be since his voice is usually monotonous and condescending.</p><p>Dream lets out a shaky sigh, tugging at his gloves to make sure they wouldn’t slide off before going down on the lead, arms growing tense as he tries not to slide all the way down. He rappels, steadily making his descent as he jumps off the wall, slides, steadies his feet on the wall, repeat. The deeper he gets, the darker it becomes, although he does get to the bottom and it’s not as dark as he had thought it to be.</p><p>He hangs on the rope, his legs swinging below him for a few moments as he drops down and lands. He shakily exhales, shouting up at them, “It’s safe to come down!”</p><p>It ended up being a mistake as he hears a familiar gurgled groan along with the tell-tale tone of rattling bones. He squints in the darkness, eyes widening as he’s suddenly face to face with a zombie.</p><p>“N-No, it’s <em>not</em> <em>safe</em> to come down!” He shrieks, his hand instantly snatching his axe from where it was sheathed and drawing it perfectly that he manages to slice the zombie’s neck open.</p><p><em>That was close</em>, he thinks as his veins burn with energy, eyes watching as the head before him leans back and disgustingly rips from the neck.</p><p>An arrow shoots pass his head, causing him to shudder as he squints in the dim lighting of the area. A vague silhouette of bones can be seen, with him dashing forwards and blindly hacking his axe from left to right in order to guide him. His axe hits bone, and an irritating screech causes him to snatch the skeleton’s axe to deprive it from attacking then he hacks away at the skeleton until its skull was pounded away along with its spine.</p><p>The skeleton lets out a deafening screech (Dream still doesn’t know how they do that, they’re fucking <em>bones</em>) before falling into a heap on the floor, the misty colour in its eye sockets fading slowly as it announces its death.</p><p>He continues to eliminate more mobs in the ravine until he’s sure he’s killed every single one in there, collapsing onto a trapezoidal rock as he hears his companions bring down their items into the ravine. He looks up at them, breathing heavily as he wipes the sweat that had collected on his forehead.</p><p>“Good job, Dream,” Illumina calls out, tossing him a glass bottle. Dream manages to catch it, popping off the cork and chugging the whole thing down.</p><p>“Thanks,” He waves, tossing the bottle back. He takes a few more minutes of rest, throwing his head back against the rock. He’s had to fight mobs on his own before and they were just as tiring as they were just now. He closes his eyes, hearing them settle down their items into a makeshift shelter.</p><p>That was just <em>tiring</em>.</p><p>“I hate mobs,” He complains, standing up from where he was standing and begrudginglywalking over to the campfire that Techno had started, “I’m lucky there weren’t any creepers here or I would have <em>died</em>.”</p><p>“No chance,” Illumina snorts, placing their furnace nearby to start cooking food, “You would have handled it.”</p><p>“You could’ve gotten your shield before jumping down,” Techno tells him, giving him a knowing smirk. Dream lightly shoves him with his foot, childishly glaring. Techno glares back before rolling his eyes, rubbing the part where Dream had shoved him.</p><p>“Children,” Illumina mutters under his breath, shaking his head about his two companions.</p><p>“I’m going to go scout the ends of the ravine,” Dream says, taking a torch from the items they managed to salvage from the explosion and lighting it up at the campfire. Techno gives him a slight nod, giving him confirmation that he heard it.</p><p>He takes the steadiest pickaxe from the tools, holding it near the fire to see it glint silver before heading towards one end of the ravine. Luckily he didn’t get a stone pickaxe, he would’ve been pissed if he saw diamond ore and couldn’t mine it out.</p><p>It’s the usual stuff; ores found high up by the walls or below his feet, the ravine becoming narrower or wider at some part, water leaking from some crack in the rock walls. Though there was a few things he doesn’t find at other ravines, such as the sound of mobs echoing being heard inside the walls, letting him know there was a part of the wall thin enough he could mine away to reveal a cave. He decides against doing it, thinking that he can just go with scouting the area of valuable information.</p><p>He finds the end of the ravine, looking up high as he just sees walls. He almost doesn’t see the sky, although that’s because he’s down below. He decides to go to the other end of the ravine, passing by Techno and Illumina with a lazy wave as he whistles on his way.</p><p>“What’s on that end?” Illumina asks, currently tinkering with a pickaxe.</p><p>“There’s iron and coal as usual- I found some redstone as well but I doubt it’s a whole chunk of them,” Dream answers, slowing down his pace when he passes by, “I’ll go check the other end, be right back.”</p><p>“Sure, sure,” Illumina turns back to the pickaxe, sharpening it even further.</p><p>Dream squeezes through the narrow space of the other side, eyes widening as he realises that there was a cave there. He can hear lava popping through the echoes of the cave, along with a few other distinct sounds of mobs that might be loitering around. He shudders at the thought of fighting either of them, squeezing back out of the space as he turns to head back to his companions.</p><p>“There’s a cave back there,” Dream calls out, sitting down by the campfire beside Illumina as he hands him a bowl of cooked cod, “There’s a few mobs in there, I think a lava pool too, so it should be alright to stay in here and mine for resources.”</p><p>“That’s pretty good,” Techno voices out, holding his sword in hand as he assesses it. He glances at Illumina, asking, “Do you reckon there’s diamonds in there?”</p><p>“If the cave goes deeper, I think it should,” Illumina responds, motioning vaguely towards the ground, “If Dream saw redstone and lava at this ground level then I think we’re pretty near diamonds at this point.”</p><p>“Lucky to have a miner in the team,” Dream cheekily smiles, eating his meal. Illumina merely rolls his eyes, though one couldn’t miss the smile on his lips.</p><p>Illumina was from L’Manburg as well, although he was from the miner town in the north near the caves. He was the one who taught the two of them about smithery as he had told them of his family’s history of being blacksmiths and miners, and he was supposed to be one of either.. except he escaped L’Manburg and became a Runaway.</p><p> Still, he had a vast knowledge about ores and smithery, which helped a lot in their travels since they had to defend themselves from mobs (and Warriors, but those had been fairly new considering they’ve been travelling together for nearly five and a half years and they’ve had their first encounter with Warriors around a year ago).</p><p>“Are we going straight for the cave?” Techno asks once again, now picking up his bowl to start eating.</p><p>“Oh, at that end of the cave there’s a thin spot in the wall, I think it’s a pickaxe away from revealing a cave,” Dream says, pointing at the first end of the ravine he had went to check, “I heard lava from there too so I think this area’s pretty near lava pools.”</p><p>“We’ll check that part first,” Illumina says, “The other end has mobs, right, so this end is a safer bet right now.”</p><p>After that agreement, they’re left to their own devices; Techno goes to continue musing about his sword, probably thinking about what more he can do to upgrade it, Illumina goes to place down the salvaged tools they have, probably thinking about which ones he has to upgrade first, and Dream..</p><p>Dream takes out a compass from his pocket, having tied it to a lead so he can keep it to himself like a pocket watch. He smiles as he notices that the arrow had moved from the direction where Wilbur’s house to L’Manburg, which means that George probably has the compass now.</p><p>He knows- he <em>knows</em> how risky it was to give George, a Warrior, a compass pointing to where he was, especially when he knows that George hates him. He leans against the rock, mindlessly staring at the compass as he thinks over what happened <em>that</em> night.</p><p>He can hear George’s voice in his mind, angry, exasperated, <em>exhausted</em>. He closes his eyes, trying to focus.</p><p>
  <strong>“</strong>
  <em>
    <strong>Clay is dead</strong>
  </em>
  <strong>. He has been for 10 years.”</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disappear.</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>“Why would I believe you?!”</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>Because it’s actually me- aren’t I proof enough?</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>“If you’re- If you’re Clay, then <em>why now?</em>”</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>I was supposed to tell you. You didn’t let me finish.</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“We wouldn’t have to meet like this!”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <em>I missed you too, if that’s what you ever meant to say.</em>
</p><p>“But I guess not,” He whispers, “though I wish that’s something you wanted to say.”</p><p>“Dream, you okay?”</p><p>He snaps back to reality, glancing back at Illumina. He smiles, lightly waving, “I’m fine, just tired.”</p><p>Illumina merely nods, continuing to sort out which tools were still usable and which needs the most reparations. Dream goes back to his own world, closing his eyes as he replays memories of that night.</p><p>
  <strong>“You’re not Clay.”</strong>
</p><p>If Dream remembers correctly, George was trembling in place.</p><p>If Dream remembers correctly, George was exhausted as he said those words.</p><p>If Dream remembers correctly, George wasn’t even looking at him properly, his eyes were clouded with tears.</p><p>If Dream remembers correctly, he saw how George lied as he said those words to his face. He saw the telltale sign of George lying, the way he wasn’t even looking at him in the eyes. He saw the slightest bit of hope that George was lying, letting him know that George didn’t mean it.</p><p><em>That George was saying that to himself, to save himself from believing that they’ve been around each other whilst never knowing it was them</em>.</p><p>But that could only be a mere dream, a mere fantasy he had made up in his head. George could be saying that because he had been gone for- what, nearly ten years?</p><p>To them, Clay was dead.</p><p>And if he thought about it, they might even be right. Clay <em>was </em>dead.</p><p>The Clay they knew had disappeared.</p><p><em>Now, there’s only Dream</em>.</p>
<hr/><p>“So when do you plan to go to the ravine?” George asks, using a fork to stab at the potatoes in his plate. He looks up, seeing Ant think about his question.</p><p>“I was thinking sometime today or tomorrow- I think today could be a good bet, since it’s still early. I wrote a request letter yesterday, and it was a surprise that I manage to find Tubbo! He was roaming around the headquarters last night, pretty convenient that he passed by our wing of the dorms,” Ant grins, “He said he’d get us a permit this morning or some time later, I’m not sure yet, but I <em>am</em> sure that he got us a permit!”</p><p>“Tubbo’s solid, dude,” Sapnap grins, leaning against the table as he points his fork (which had a potato stabbed on it) at Ant, “He caught me outside one time and he just said he didn’t see anything.”</p><p>“That’s because the two of you are close, Sapnap,” Bad chuckles, “Every after hunts you’d always try and go to him first to tell of our “escapades”, as you put it.”</p><p>“He was the one who asked me in the first place,” Sapnap laughs, “Kid has mentioned wanting to be a Warrior, though I think he’s doing well working for the Office.”</p><p>“I’m surprised he can even work there, considering that..” George let his words fall off, letting the other understand whatever he was implying. He watches as his allies avert their eyes, having sheepish and awkward looks on their faces.</p><p>While Schlatt had ruled L’Manburg well, not many people are fond of him. He ruled with an iron fist, he punished law-breakers harshly- it was already evident with him creating the Warriors, recruiting soldiers to train and hunt down Runaways to jail and punish them for seeking the Stronghold.</p><p>He grimaces, his mind going back to <strike>Clay</strike> Dream; he probably didn’t know about Schlatt being in office. He definitely didn’t, considering the fact that he isn’t even in L’Manburg the past 10 years.</p><p>Wait, is he admitting that Clay is alive? No, no, definitely not-</p><p>
  <em>Admit it George, you know it’s true, you’re just too stubborn to believe it. Clay is alive, Clay is Dream, and you pushed him away<strike>-</strike></em>
</p><p>“George, you’re doing that face again.”</p><p>“What- What face?” George asks, suddenly self conscious as he brings hand up to cover half of his face. Sapnap bursts into laughter, having to turn away since he was laughing so hard. Ant and Bad merely looked concerned for him, but one couldn’t miss the slight quirk in their lips as they too found it hilarious.</p><p>“You’re so pissed at <em>nothing</em> again, oh god-!” Sapnap says between wheezes, trying to regain his composure as he stops, laughs, <em>tries</em> to stop, but he just couldn’t stop himself from laughing.</p><p>“Are you okay, George?” Bad asks, eyebrows raised in concern, “Why is Sapnap laughing, what happened?”</p><p>“It’s nothing,” George chuckles nervously, straightening his posture as he goes to finish the last of his meal, “There’s.. something going on and I’m pretty mad about it, but I should be moving on about it soon.”</p><p>Bad looks like he wanted to ask more, but he decided against it. George internally thanks him for not asking, since it was something complicated.. well, it was complicated for George.</p><p>“So anyway, I was thinking about what armour we’re going to borrow and- oh, Tubbo! Here!” Ant raises a hand and waves, causing the rest of the table to turn to where he was waing at and finds Tubbo standing by the entrance of the cafeteria. His expression lightens up once he had spotted their table, making his way over to them as quickly as he could.</p><p>“Good morning gentlemen, I hope you’re doing well on this fine morning,” He greets cheerfully, holding out an envelope to Ant, “Here you go, Mr. AntFrost, your permit to go outside of L’Manburg today. Schlatt had to deal with something today so I had Quackity sign it. It’s still valid since he’s Vice President.”</p><p>“Thanks Tubbo!” Ant says eagerly, taking the envelope, “I’ll try to bring you back something as thanks, what do you want in case I find some good ores in the ravine?”</p><p>“An emerald, if you can- oh! Or Lapis! Or just some redstone, if you find any- either of three is fine,” Tubbo smiles, “If you don’t find any that’s fine too, just take resources for yourselves, I heard that the mines was cramped these days.”</p><p>“This is why I took the opportunity!” Ant exclaims, overly eager about the topic, “If you walked in the mines, it’s so goddamn noisy, I can normally handle the sound of pickaxe whittling away at ores, but having so much of them? Damn, I wish- I wish I had something to cover my ears with!”</p><p>“Yeah, I was gonna go and see if you were there once but I couldn’t bare the sound,” Sapnap says, chuckling, “How do you stay in there, I would’ve gone mad!”</p><p>“I was with Sapnap during that time, I didn’t even step inside the mines,” George laughs. He wasn’t really fond of loud noises, and he heard the sound of pickaxes whittling away at rock from a mile away from the mines, it was <em>that</em> loud. He hated it, really.</p><p>Ant merely gives them an exhausted smile, to which everyone laughs at. That was understandable enough, he didn’t really need to give an explanation.</p><p>“Oh right- George, I have a package for you,” Tubbo says, taking out something covered in paper from his pocket. He was about to hand it over when he suddenly retracts it back, saying, “Oh, right, it was supposed to be a secret..”</p><p>“From me?” George asks, perplexed.</p><p>“No, not from you,” Tubbo responds, averting his eyes. George follows his gaze, realising what he meant.</p><p>Oh, <em>they</em> weren’t supposed to know?</p><p>“It’s fine, Tubbo, we just won’t ask about it,” Sapnap says, giving George a mischievous smile, “We’ll just have to force it out of him.”</p><p>“Sapnap, no!” Bad scolds, looking a bit horrified.</p><p>“What, I’m just kidding!”</p><p>“It’s you, Sapnap, sometimes you’re not kidding.”</p><p>“Oh come on, give me a break!”</p><p>They laugh about it, with Tubbo sneakily handing the package to George. He mouths something, it was quick and he goes to take his leave, greeting the four of them goodbye, heading out of the cafeteria.</p><p>“George, you okay? You look unnerved,” Ant asks, nudging at him, “Is it about the package?”</p><p>“No, not really,” George glances down at the package in his hand, feeling around it. It felt like a compass- he knows what a compass <em>feels</em> like, he’s held one before. He doesn’t know why, but the compass fills him with dread. It’s just <em>ominous</em>.</p><p>Maybe it’s the fact that Tubbo just mouthed to him that <em>it’s from Dream</em>.</p><p>They left the cafeteria after eating, immediately heading towards their rooms to prepare. Ant was going to get armour for them, taking the ones they had last hunt. Luckily it wasn’t too destroyed; he had enough time to just repair it with ore he got from the mines. Sapnap went to go wash up, leaving George in their room as he goes to fetch his bag.</p><p>He stops in front of his cabinet, holding the paper-covered package in his hand.</p><p>He uncovers it, his eyes suddenly widening as he finds words written on the paper.</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <strong>
      <em>George, I’m sorry. This compass points to me. Do what you want to it. I’ll be waiting. See you. Dream</em>
    </strong>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>He suddenly crushes the paper in his hand, opening a drawer and shoving it deep inside.</p><p>What the fuck.</p><p><em>What the fuck</em>.</p><p>He looks down at the compass, seeing that it wasn’t pointing to the North. It was pointing to the south. His heart races, though he felt like it had stopped. His veins were burning but he felt ice cold. He was thinking about everything but he can’t focus on one thing.</p><p>Dream have him a compass that points to him. Dream wants George to come to him.</p><p>Part of him wants to throw away the compass, let go of the memory, forget about Dream and just focus on capturing him for being a Runaway.</p><p>But he can’t, <em>he really can’t</em>, even if he’s already holding it over his trash bin, he really can’t.</p><p>It’s not like this is his last link of Dream, of <em>Clay</em>. It’s not like he’s holding to a last hope that <strike>Clay</strike> Dream still wants to talk to him. It’s not like he wanted to know where Dream is, letting him know that he was alive.</p><p>It’s really not.</p><p>
  <strike>It is.</strike>
</p><p>“George, you ready?”</p><p>“Yeah! Yeah, I am,” George shoves the compass in his bag, guilt pooling in his stomach. This is like teaming up with a criminal, isn’t it? It makes him an accomplice, he has a direct access to Dream, <em>the</em> <em>Trickster</em>. He turns to Sapnap, lightly smiling, “Are we going now?”</p><p>“Ant’s at the locker rooms, he has our armour ready,” Sapnap says, taking his bag from his bed, “I think he also got us new tools, it’s great! I’m glad he’s on our team, it’s a real win.”</p><p>“That’s great,” George hums, following after Sapnap as they leave their room. He closes the room after them, thoughts turning back to the compass shoved down in his bag. It makes each step heavier, as it was weighing down on his psyche.</p><p>It was corrupting his mind, causing him to overthink, making him think about all the worst possibilities he could end up with. His eyes flash scenarios in front of him, his allies shouting betrayal at him as he’s thrown into the prisons, sentenced to the same torture that Runaways are forced to go through every day.</p><p>He shuts his eyes momentarily, trying to clear his mind, trying not to think about anything else other than their current mission.</p><p>They’re about to go outside of L’Manburg, they’re going to accompany Ant to the ravine and get resources for themselves, they’re going to come back and make better armour and plan better strategies for when they hunt for Runaways.</p><p>Yes. That is the plan.</p><p>“So what was the package that you got?” Sapnap asks, opening the door to the locker.</p><p>George’s mind short-circuits, all the thoughts he’s been pushing away suddenly floods his mind, corrupting him in a way that he felt light headed. He hears worried shouts, and suddenly he was being sat on a bench. He blinks his way into consciousness, looking around, “What- What happened?”</p><p>“Dude, you suddenly passed out, what the hell?!” Sapnap exclaims, concerned as he assesses his current state, “Did you eat something bad? Did you-“</p><p>He starts listing down questions, and George couldn’t keep up with either of them, raising up a hand, “Sapnap, I’m- I’m okay, I just blacked out for a bit, I’m okay, really. I can do this.”</p><p>“You sure?” Bad says, frowning, “I think you should stay back..”</p><p>“I’m okay, Bad,” George insists, smiling slightly, “That’s nothing, I just- I just passed out, it’s nothing big. It won’t happen again, promise.”</p><p>“Well, either way we’re going to the ravine,” Ant says, motioning towards the armour on the table, “Suit up, everyone!”</p><p>They go on to wear the armour Ant had prepared, sheathing the tools and weapons given to them on their bodies and in their bags. They head out of the locker room and to the gate at headquarters that lead to the outside, giving the letter permit to the guards before being let out.</p><p>George’s mind goes back to the compass, a bad feeling pooling in his stomach.</p><p>They were heading towards the south.</p><p><em>The compass was pointing towards the south</em>.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>ahehehe, a ravine, they're all going to a ravine oh noooo--</p><p>again, i appreciate your comments a lot aaaaa i read them and im sorry i couldnt respond as much because i usually use most of my time doing school works ;;A;;</p><p>if you want to reach me and kinda talk about mcyt and the dreamsmp, i'm at twitter as @cly_252!! although i dont tweet so much i usually just retweet art, lmao</p><p>also i already deleted the old version of this fanfic, which was To Catch A Criminal, since this plot is much different from that one!</p><p>love u guys and stay safe!! &lt;3 see you in the next update!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. 08 | into the ravine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>George heads into the ravine with his teammates.. but the compass was pointing to the ravine.</p><p>Dream realises that his compass was pointing.. not at L'Manburg. He looks up.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>FIRST OF ALL I APOLOGISE FOR NOT POSTING FOR LIKE,,,, NEARLY A WEEK-- it was because i know i couldnt write this as good as i can imagine it to be because this chapter was packed with action scenes and i absolutely cannot write action that well ;;A;;</p><p>i hope you enjoy despite the fact that i know i didnt write this as well as i thought i could ;;A;;</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They were headed towards the South.</p><p>He’s hoping that he has memory problems because what he remembers is that the compass was pointing <em>towards the South</em>. Perhaps he could hope that the compass is broken and was pointing towards the south instead of north like it’s supposed to be.</p><p>Well then again, there was a letter that came along with it, where Dream had written to him claiming that he had given the compass to George so he could track him. And the compass was pointing to the south.</p><p><em>This has to be a coincidence, right? </em> It just had to be, or else because he doesn’t know how he could react to the situation.</p><p>He can feel himself burning up with anger as he reminds himself of <em>that</em> night, though he simmers down as he clenches his fist. It’s best not to think about that at the moment, he’s currently out with Ant, Sapnap, and Bad, their current goal is to get to a ravine and get resources for themselves, they’re stocked with items that’d last them at least two days, since that’s the only time they allotted for themselves to get resources; that was also the time limit that Tubbo put in their letter of permit, and they’re rather not get a penalty for going over their permitted time.</p><p>On the brighter side, the compass meant that this was a sign that Dream is still seeking to make amends, to make up with him, to have some sort of connection to him. A sign that Dream is still alive, that he isn’t mad. It possibly could be a sign that Dream forgives him despite shouting, yelling, heck, even <em>punching</em> him. It was a sign that Dream is alive. That night wasn’t a fever dream. That night was real, and Clay is <em>alive</em>.</p><p>This was a string of thoughts that George didn’t want to touch upon; he had stayed up all night thinking whether he wanted to stay bitter at the fact that Clay wasn’t dead and he had been mourning for the guy for the past decade or to be glad that he wasn’t even dead in the first place. In the end he chose both; it was <strike>Clay</strike> <em>Dream’s</em> fault for not giving them even a sign that he was still alive. How was George supposed to know that the criminal he’s been chasing for more or less a year had been his long-lost childhood best friend this entire time? It was ridiculous; he still couldn’t process that information properly. There’s nothing wrong with choosing both, he’s slowly coming into terms that the two can co-exist.</p><p>His head numbs the more he thinks, but he couldn’t really get himself out of the loop of his thoughts as he falls deeper into the abyss of-</p><p>“George, you good?” Sapnap asks, giving him a worried look. George blinks back to reality, realising that the four of them are currently traversing through a forest on the way to the ravine. Ant was the one leading them, with Bad being the one to hold the map and try to pinpoint the direction of where the ravine might be. His eyes refocus on their surroundings, realising that he had gone off in a world inside his mind as he fell deeper into the abyss of thinking too much.</p><p>Yeah, he shouldn’t do that often.</p><p>“Yup, I’m- I’m good,” George assures him, giving him a quick smile and a nod of his head. Sapnap returns the nod as a confirmation, not questioning him any further. George internally thanks him for that, shifting his gaze towards the ground once he had realised the area they had just passed by; it was their old riverbank; the place where they played, the place where he and Dream had that argument-</p><p>“Oh, <em>hey</em>!” Bad exclaims, stopping for a moment as he points towards the riverbank. George almost winces at the happiness in his voice, as if he was offended by it. Bad turns to face them, his grin wide, “Wasn’t this where we used to play before?”</p><p>“I don’t know, Bad, you tell me,” Ant says jokingly, acting offended by the question. It was mostly due to the fact that he had only known them ever since the Warriors occupation had been created, having met them long after their little group of friends had dispersed. He lived in the miner town of L’Manburg towards the north, growing up around smiths and miners as he manage to learn the art of smithery. It was good enough that he knew a lot about ores, and him knowing how to craft a good weapon was even better.</p><p>“Oh, I’m sorry, Ant,” Bad frowns, looking guilty as he realises what he had said, “I didn’t mean to-“</p><p>George remembers the first few days of them being together as team mates, Bad often made references that only he and Sapnap knew, which made Ant feel left out during that time. Bad doesn’t do it that often anymore, but there were still a few slip-ups.</p><p>“Nah, it’s fine,” Ant passively waves a hand in his direction, showing that he isn’t as affected as he was back then. He faces the riverbank, looking around the area, “So, you guys used to play around here? Seems pretty small for you guys to play in. Didn’t you guys say there were like.. more than 10 of you?”</p><p>“We used to camp out here too, the area was bigger when we were smaller,” Sapnap says, grinning as he gives George a glance. George offers a smile of his own, though he couldn’t help but remember his most recent memory of this place.</p><p>He fights back a scowl, bitterly thinking, <em>this was supposed to be a place where I think about happy childhood memories, fuck you Clay for replacing that with that godawful argument</em>.</p><p>But then again, he couldn’t really blame Dream for that too. He was part of that argument- well, he may have started the argument in the first place..</p><p>He hears Bad and Sapnap exchange a few memories, with George reliving each memory in his mind as his bitter feelings slowly dissipate into nostalgia. He misses those times, where they were mindlessly sparring each other with sticks as swords, making up punishments for those who lose each round. He remembers having to jump into the river in just his underwear because he lost against Wilbur, shuddering at how cold it was. He could still remember shivering as he swims out of the river, all of them cheering him on. He could remember Clay laughing at him, the two of them starting a splashing war that got all of them swimming in the river instead of whatever they had planned that day.</p><p>He misses those days, he didn’t have to worry about so much.</p><p><strike>Because those where the days when everything wasn’t as shitty</strike>.</p><p>“Well, we better get going now, it’s best if we reach the place by nightfall,” Ant tells them, moving onwards, “We don’t want to lose our respawn to mobs, you know.”</p><p>“Right, right, let’s move on now,” Bad says, a smile still on his lips, “We should get a reunion thing coming soon, that would be great, right? You, me, George, Skeppy, Karl, Quackity, Sam, Clay, Wilbur..”</p><p>His voice trails off after the last two names, taking in a sharp breath as he catches George’s eye, “.. Right, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.”</p><p>“It’s fine, Bad,” George assures, offering a small smile, “I think that would be nice too.”</p><p>They go through the forest in silence, bittersweet memories going through George’s head as he tries to think of anything remotely positive about Clay.</p><p>He knows he can’t stay mad forever, but right now he’ll just stay mad until it eventually dies out. He’s bound to get tired from being angry at Dream, right?</p><p>Good to know that he still has a sound mind.</p><p>So let’s start with that, he thinks, let’s think of something positive about Dream.</p><p>Top of the list is that he’s Clay and that he isn’t dead.</p><p>That’s the most positive George can reach right now.</p><p>He can do better- he <em>knows­ </em>he can do better, but maybe not now. Knowing that Clay is alive should be enough right now. He tired himself out in the past ten years, mourning and missing him as he had disappeared from their lives and made them believe he was gone.</p><p>Well, technically he <em>was</em> gone, but not mortality wise.</p><p>George smiles a bit, trying to let the positivity consume him.</p><p>Clay was alive. He was alive this entire time, he can stop mourning now.</p><p>But then again, why did he let himself mourn for ten years?</p><p>“George has been so quiet this entire time,”</p><p>“Yeah, usually he’s loud,”</p><p>“Come on, you guys, let him be quiet if he wants to-“</p><p>“I can hear you guys,” George calls out, playfully glaring at his team mates. Sapnap lets out a laugh, shaking his head as he slings an arm around his shoulders.</p><p>“You have that face again, dude, you’re thinking too much,” Sapnap tells him, his voice becoming unusually soft, “Just relax, we’re on a, um, chill job today.”</p><p>“I know,” George lightly shrugs off his hand, to which Sapnap complies by removing his arm around him, “I’m just..”</p><p>His mind goes back to the compass inside his bag, and suddenly everything felt so heavy.</p><p>“.. thinking about stuff,” He finishes, trying not to sound suspicious. Sapnap merely shrugs, walking alongside him as they follow Ant and Bad.</p><p>“Sure,” Sapnap says, a breathy chuckle escaping his lips. He snorts, “<em>Stuff</em>, you say.”</p><p>George lightly shoves him in feigned offence, chuckling, “I’m serious!”</p><p>“Sure, George, sure,” Sapnap giggles, to which George rolls his eyes to. They settle onto comfortable silence, randomly pointing out things they see in the wilderness, or humming random tunes and repeating it back to each other mockingly.</p><p>George smiles, appreciating the way Sapnap is just.. comfortable to be with. He’s understanding. He cares. He knows how to handle his boundaries, considering that they’ve stuck to each other ever since Clay died. He remembers calling the three of them the Dream team, and coming back to the memory makes him wince.</p><p><em>Dream </em> team. <em>Dream</em>.</p><p>He nearly scowls.</p><p>No, he should be thinking positively, <em>positively.</em></p><p>He’s spent the last few days in rage and frustration, and frankly he’s grown tired of it. It’s all in his mind for hours on end.</p><p>What will take for him to move on from the goddamn anger?</p><p>“Guys, look! It’s the ravine!” Ant exclaims, his voice filled with excitement as he lightly shakes Bad back and forth before pointing at the dip in the ground from across the river. He turns around to face them, smiling, “And it’s nearly sunset! Perfect time to set camp in the ravine, right? We have lanterns, this should go smoothly!”</p><p>“After crossing the river, could we stop to, like, eat? We’ve been walking for a while and my feet hurts,” Sapnap complains, exaggerating his voice just to annoy them, “Please, Bad?”</p><p>“Alright, you muffinhead,” Bad huffs, though he chuckles as he realises that Sapnap was merely playing an act, “Come on now, let’s cross this river then we can take a little break.”</p><p>Sapnap lets out a cheer, and George had to shake his head at how ridiculous he sounded. The four of them cross the river, having to walk its length to find the shallowest part before walking to the other side. It wasn’t that far, but the shallowest that the river went was around their knees. It’s better than having to walk on waist-deep water or deeper.</p><p>The four of them settle under a stray tree near the ravine, taking a much awaited break. They’ve been walking for hours, which George had just realised. He was too deep inside his head that he didn’t realise how much time had passed by.</p><p>He should stop thinking too much.</p><p>He goes to take the bread he has in his bag, breaking a part half of it to eat as a snack. He wasn’t really that hungry, even if it had been hours since they last ate a meal. His eyes land at a particular item lying at the bottom of his bag, with him fixing his bag’s position so he can see it better without the others realising that he has the compass.</p><p>His eyes widen, looking up from the bag and to the ravine.</p><p>Then back at the bag.</p><p>Then at the ravine.</p><p>The compass.</p><p>The ravine.</p><p><em>The compass was pointing at the ravine</em>.</p><p>His head hurts.</p><hr/><p>He stares at the compass, seeing how it was pointing towards the North. Well, it <em>had</em> been pointing towards the north this entire time, but it felt different.</p><p>He had a hunch, but he’s not entirely sure.</p><p>“Interesting..” He mutters before pocketing it once again.</p><p>“What was that, Dream?” Illumina asks, pausing from mining for a moment.</p><p>“Huh?” Dream turns back to him, before smiling and passively waving a hand, “Nothing, it’s nothing, just interesting how this ravine had so much resources.”</p><p>“Well, true,” Illumina glances at the piles of ore they had managed to dig out for the hours they spent mining in the cave, “Had so much iron and gold, lapis, the like.”</p><p>The three of them had gone to the one end of ravine, with Techno being the one to try and tear down the stone wall. It crumbled into cobblestones, revealing a cavern; it was quite small, but there was easily noticeable ores sticking out from the sides. They had to a fight a few mobs at first, though it was really just a few spiders.</p><p>Living out in the wilderness meant that they didn’t have that much time to slack around, they had to work efficiently to get as much resources as they could before moving on to their next agenda.</p><p>And speaking of agenda..</p><p>“When are we carrying out the “Nether” plan?” Dream calls out, his voice echoing throughout the cavern. He turns back to look at his companions, who have stopped in their tracks to think about his question. They took this as an unspoken sign to take a break, leading to the three of them sitting down in the cave and taking a much awaited break after mining for hours on end.</p><p>“Well, first we have to get information about it,” Techno says, glancing at Dream, “No offence, but I don’t trust the extent of what you know about the Nether.”</p><p>“None taken,” Dream sighs, “I’m not even sure if I remember correctly.”</p><p>He averts his eyes, fingers drumming against the ground as he tries to remember something- his eyes widen, remembering the moment when he had been in L’Manburg, seeing a certain library which let him remember memories he’d look back on and smile as he relishes in the nostalgic moments.</p><p>“Well, I think I know where we can get information,” He says, capturing the interest of his companions. He smiles sheepishly, saying, “Well, the thing is..”</p><p>Techno gives him an uncomfortable look, already getting the idea, “.. it’s from L’Manburg, isn’t it?”</p><p>Illumina turns to Dream, with the latter’s smile growing more sheepish.</p><p>“I’m not going back there,” Techno grumbles, standing up to go stretch, “I’ve had enough of these Warriors after my ass every time they see me. Two more encounters and I’m ‘bout to take this personally.”</p><p>Techno had claimed once that when he really gets pissed off at the Warriors that comes after them, he’s going to start storming L’Manburg. Dream laughs, remembering the time when Techno had launched a full rant at them after having one particular encounter with a Warrior who wore a bandana; he had gone back to their current camp with tattered clothes and scars scattered all over his body, even having one over his eye. It was the first time that Techno had to use a Healing potion, and he had made sure that he never had that experience again.</p><p>Dream then pauses, thinking upon the “bandana-wearing Warrior”. He’s encountered him before.. with George. The cogs run around his brain, and his eyes widen a bit as he realises that that certain Warrior might the “Sapnap” guy that Tubbo had mentioned one time.</p><p>If he remembers properly, he nearly encountered the guy when he had his first encounter with George on that cliff-side place.</p><p>“We’ve been mining for a while,” Illumina says with a chuckle, his exhaustion evident in his tone, “I’m gonna go cook some food.”</p><p>“I’m coming with you, this place is stuffy,” Techno mumbles.</p><p>The three of them head out of the cavern, their bodies feeling sore from mining for hours. It’s not much to complain about, this was the norm for them. They’ve lived through the worse scenarios in the wilderness, having to evade multiple mobs and run away from warriors. They had to go and take resources every day just to ensure their survival, and with Techno being as careful as he was he’s slowly influenced his companions to take more than needed in case of emergencies.</p><p>They sit by the campfire, with Illumina cooking the fish they have gotten before coming to the ravine hours before they found it.</p><p>Dream takes his compass from his pocket, noticing how the compass had moved- not, it was.. it was moving. It sways from side to side, as if.. the other compass was nearby..</p><p>“Is that compass broken?” Techno asks, watching as the arrow moves around. He gives Dream a look, feeling suspicious, “You’re not stupid, that’s not compasses work.”</p><p>“I know..” Dream says slowly, watching as the compass stops. His eyes widen, looking upwards towards the surface. He can see that it was almost sunset, though if he squints he thinks he catches sight of someone peering in..</p><p>“T-Techno,” He says, panic starting to flow in his veins as he goes to puts on his mask. Techno turns away from his sword, following after his gaze and looking upwards.</p><p>“What the <em>fuck-“</em></p><p>Techno reaches for his own mask, with Illumina following suite as he had caught on to the situation at hand. He passes them the shields they have managed to save, they’re not as sturdy but they can still manage to defend with them.</p><p>“Is that a lead?” They hear from the surface, followed by a pregnant pause as Dream locks eyes with whoever had peered into the ravine.</p><p>“B-Bad!” They hear, and the person disappears from their sight. They take whatever weapons they have in stock, Techno with his slightly damaged sword, Dream with his axe, and Illumina with his crossbow. They know- they just know that they’re going to have to engage in combat with whoever was there, they’ve been in this situation so much. They hear the tell-tale sound of breaking glass before being faced against Warriors in a narrow ravine.</p><p>Dream clicks his tongue, knowing that this was going to be a tough battle considering that there wasn’t as much space in the ravine. While the three of them were already a crowd, imagine having to fit with <em>seven people</em> inside the narrow space. This battle was going to be a nightmare.</p><p>He spots George around the back, holding up a shield and an iron sword. Dream frowns, fixing the mask on his face so it wouldn’t fall off in the battle. It was better if he wasn’t recognised, along with Techno and Illumina, since all their lives as Runaways they’d rather leave behind the names they originally had.</p><p>He sees the way Techno locks on Sapnap, the bandana-wearing Warrior. He stares at the Warriors, seeing how they had stumbled about the “three infamous Runaways” as Tubbo had said.</p><p>The first to attack was Sapnap, immediately raising his shield and attacking at Techno. Dream goes to block him, leading Techno to go and fight the others behind them with Illumina shooting arrows from afar.</p><p>This was a strategy they’ve always used, Dream and Techno being the ones to fight up close as Illumina supports from the back. It was unspoken, something they didn’t really have to talk about at length as it was understood among the three of them.</p><p>The sound of metal clashing against each other fills their ears, of metal thunking against wood, and arrows whipping past their heads. Illumina had a good aim, having to be careful not to accidentally shoot his allies.</p><p>Dream blocks another hit from Sapnap, sucking in a breath at how he lightly skids back against the stone. Sapnap was strong- Techno wasn’t lying when he said the guy was a good at combat. They go on exchanging blows, managing to cut the other and then retaliating in return.</p><p>Dream couldn’t really think properly- all he could think was <em>attack, fight, don’t let them get you, attack before they can attack you</em>.</p><p>His mind has gone hazy, his body was moving but his mind was elsewhere.</p><p>It’s like he was watching himself move, his body automatically reacting to everything that was happening.</p><p>An arrow whizzes past him. He blocks yet another attack from Sapnap. He skids from the impact. He grits his teeth, swinging his axe forwards. Sapnap dodges.</p><p>He brings his attention elsewhere, seeing the way George and the feline-like Warrior struggle against Techno as they desperately block and retaliate against his brute force, and the hooded one struggle against Illumina as they exchange equally strategic blows.</p><p>“What are you looking at, Dream?!”</p><p>He raises his shield in time to block the sword aimed to attack him, hissing in pain as the ache in his arm starts to affect him. Sapnap was pretty heavy handed, he notices.</p><p>“You seem to be better with an axe!” Dream laughs, trying to seem unaffected as he retaliates and tries to bring back the same pain at Sapnap as he strikes his axe against his shield.</p><p>Wait, no, what was he thinking? Giving his enemy tips?</p><p>“Dream, what the <em>fuck?!”</em> Illumina calls out, and Dream could only let out a laugh, still trying to seem unaffected with the situation.</p><p>“Guys, <em>guys!”</em> He hears someone shriek, hearing footsteps beside him as the Warrior that was fighting Illumina seems to be having a difficult time.</p><p>He hears the sound of a crossbow being loaded, hearing an arrow whizz into the air and stick deep inside the Warrior’s back. He winces at the blood that spurts from the arrow piercing into him, his body dissipating into white specks and flowing out of the ravine.</p><p>“<em>Bad!” </em> The feline-like warrior exclaims, sounding distraught, “Regroup, regroup!”</p><p>“Oh, no you <em>don’t!”</em> Techno growls, meticulously swinging his sword in a way that he attacks both of the Warriors at him in one go. Dream nearly winces as he hears George cry out in pain.</p><p>
  <em>Wait, no, I don’t want this-</em>
</p><p>Dream dodges Sapnap’s sword, using the blunt edge of his axe to smack into the Warrior’s side. Sapnap lets out a pained shout, backing away as he defends himself from the green-cloaked man.</p><p>Dream looks back, seeing Illumina raising his crossbow as he aims for the remaining three Warriors.</p><p>“<em>You muffin head!”</em> The hooded Warriors cries out, sword gripped in hand as he charges at Techno. Dream nearly winces at the way he was attacked, with Techno using his sword to pierce through his chest.</p><p>
  <em>This isn’t what I want-</em>
</p><p>The Warrior, much like the other one, disappears into white dust and disappears from their sight.</p><p><em>And so two remains</em>, Dream thinks, starting to feel guilty as he spots the way George looks panicked with the situation.</p><p>“What now, Dream?” Techno says, purposely making his voice loud to make himself heard, “Should I just attack them?”</p><p>The bandana-wearing Warrior charges on, which ended up being a mistake as he had given Illumina and entry to shoot at him. Dream winces at the sound of the arrow piercing through skin, watching as Sapnap gasps out in pain before evaporating into white specks.</p><p><em>Only one more remaining</em>.</p><p>“You know what, let me just finish this-“</p><p>Techno’s sword slices down, only to be blocked by an axe.</p><p>Dream’s axe.</p><p>
  <em>No.</em>
</p><p>“Dream? What are you doing?” Illumina says, looking perturbed by his actions.</p><p>He swore he heard George mutter his name from behind him, but that’s not what he’s supposed to be focusing on right now.</p><p>“What are you doing, Dream,” Techno asks, his voice low and menacing, “Step aside.”</p><p>“No,” Dream breathes out, lightly swinging his axe so that Techno retracts his sword back. The two glare at each other, equally heated stares making the situation more intense than it should be. Dream scowls as Techno turns from glaring at him to narrowing his eyes at George. He raises his axe, trying to shield the male behind him.</p><p>Techno looks at him, confused as he looks back at George. He then lets out a chuckle, having realised something, “Oh, I see how it is.”</p><p>Dream’s glare falters, his form loosening as his eyebrows scrunch up in confusion, “Excuse me?”</p><p>“What do you mean “how it is”?” Illumina asks, his voice heavy with hatred as he points his crossbow at George, “Just- Just kill the guy or something, send him back to L’Manburg! What’s the big deal, Dream?!”</p><p>“<em>Clay-</em> what are you-“</p><p>The three Runaways watch as the Warrior crumples into the ground, exhaustion having caught up to him. Techno goes to raise his sword, with Dream turning to him with a warning glare, saying, “Don’t.”</p><p>“What the <em>hell,</em> Dream?!” Illumina yells, looking exasperated, “Why are you defending a Warrior?! Do you feel <em>pity</em> for them now?! Because we kill them?! Dream- if you saw how they fucking treat Runaways they caught, you’d understand why I’m acting like this. <em>Why are you defending him?!”</em></p><p>“That’s his childhood friend, Illumina,” Techno says, amusement evident in his tone. Dream turns to Techno, about to be bewildered when he remembers that he knows Techno from <em>his</em> childhood.</p><p>
  <em>Right, Techno and Wilbur were brothers. Wilbur and Dream were friends. </em>
</p><p>Illumina stares at them in disbelief, raising his crossbow, “You know what, I’m going to-“</p><p>“Illumina, don’t,” Dream warns. He drops his axe and shield, raising his hands as he says, “Don’t touch him. I’ll take care of him for the night. Just- Just don’t touch him.”</p><p>Techno merely nods, saying, “If anything happens, you’re the one taking the consequences.”</p><p>It takes Illumina a while to agree, begrudgingly agreeing to what Techno had said.</p><p>Dream breaths out, relief flooding through his veins as he looks down at George.</p><p>First thing he’s gotta do is get him a better place to lie on.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>dnf content next chapter? yes please :))</p><p>anyway, aAAAAAA HOW IS EVERYONE FEELING FROM THE LATEST EVENTS OF THE SMP??? DREAM IS IN PRISON POG?? KARL IS A TIME TRAVELLER POG??????</p><p>im so hyped up omg, i really appreciate them!!</p><p>also- i started an art account on twitter, @clyveon . leave a follow if you wish- my alt is @cly_252, i usually tweet about smp stuff there :))</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. 09 | trek to home..?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Dream brings George back.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>aAAAAAAAAA IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO WRITE THIS!! school works took a toll on me and i couldn't type the chapter all in one go ;;A;; </p><p>also kudos to @SpaceMom for offering to be a beta-reader!! i aPPRECIATE THEIR SUGGESTIONS A LOT AAAA I LOVE THEM AGAIN THANK YOU SO MUCH AAAA&lt;3</p><p>from 4k+ words this chapter became 6k+ aHAHAHA-- ENJOY READING SOME DNF CONTENT</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He could stare at George all day.</p><p>He just looks so adorable, lying down in his bed and biting his lip. The way his eyes shut close, eyebrows scrunch up, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down noticeably as he thickly swallows, his breathing hitched and uneven- <em>he was drinking it all up</em>. </p><p>He reaches up to hide his smirk behind a hand, it was just <em>adorable</em>.</p><p>“Dream, <em>fuck you</em>,” George whimpers, clutching his body while it shudders under the effect of the healing potion. </p><p>Dream merely laughs, dropping his hand as he says, “You said you wanted the potion, now you get the potion. Isn’t this what you wanted?”</p><p>“Why the <em>fuck</em> does it hurt?!” George moans, face scrunched up in pain before moving his arms up so he can cover his face. Dream winces, physically feeling George’s pain through his shrill voice, “It’s- It’s <em>hurting</em> me, Dream!”</p><p>“That’s just how potions work, you didn’t know?” Dream snickers as he watches George writhe around in his bed. </p><p>How did they get in this situation? </p><p>Well..</p><p><em>“You’re in charge of that Warrior, Dream,” Illumina said, voice still bitter as he went to continue cooking the fish they were supposed to have for dinner way before they were even attacked, “If anything happens to us because of him we’re going to have to </em>abandon<em> you.”</em></p><p>“Relax, Illumina!”<em> Dream laughed, shaking his head as he gently scooped up George into his arms from the ground. He took note of the fact that George had bruises in his hands and a few cuts scattered across his body, though he knew he’ll go treat them later. It was always rough fighting against Techno, he was always so brutal no matter who he was fighting against.</em></p><p>
  <em>He brought George to his makeshift bed, rolling the thick layer of cloth onto the ground with his foot as he ept his hold on the passed out man. He could feel that George was unusually warm, and by the way his breathing was uneven, he could tell that he had a cold. He lowly whistled while grimacing, slowly crouching down so he can place George onto the bed.</em>
</p><p><em>Dream stood back up, staring down at his best friend. This had been the first time in years that he had seen George up close, he looked so calm in his rest, save for the few time his eyebrows scrunch up paired the sound of him groaning. It might be due to the fact that the bed isn’t comfy, or the fact that he had just fought a battle with </em>Technoblade.<em> Still, he frowns, wondering how George feels at the moment.</em></p><p>
  <em>He shakes his head as if trying to push away his thoughts, walking towards the campfire once he had taken his eyes off of George. Illumina had left him a bowl of fish, though he still looked pretty pissed off. He sighed, taking his seat around the fire and saying, “Really, Illumina, I wouldn’t have spared him if something bad were to happen.”</em>
</p><p><em>“Just because he’s your </em>childhood best friend?” <em>Illumina said, his voice sounding calm but you could hear the repressed anger in his tone, “Dream, what the fuck </em>happened<em> to leaving your past behind? You made such a big talk about </em>leaving everything behind<em> and-“</em></p><p>
  <em>He stopped mid-sentence, staring at Dream before sighing, “You know what, forget it.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Dream watched as Illumina averted his eyes to bore a harsh glare at his bowl, eyebrows knit close together and shoulders tense.</em>
</p><p><em>“No, uh- no really, I, um, I understand,” Dream stated, starting to eat his meal as he tears through the skin and delicately pulls away the bones that he immediately sees, “He’s an enemy, he’s been hunting me- well,  </em>us<em> for nearly a year, I understand why you’re mad.”</em></p><p>
  <em>“So why?” Illumina asked, his voice growing a bit soft, as he lifted his gaze back at Dream and the tension seemed to deflate from his body, if only a little, “You know he’s our enemy.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Dream stared, almost regretting his decision to let George stay alive.</em>
</p><p><em>But when he saw George during the battle, he noticed how he looked more tired than normal- with his movements seeming sluggish in comparison to what he was capable of, eyes not as alert as they’ve been days before, when they locked eyes together and George </em>knew, <em>for the very first time in years again. He looked like he was about to pass out even when they hadn't even started to clash. He thought that George was sick- and George was. He had a cold.</em></p><p><em> <strike>He ignored the way his mind seemed to disagree with him, saying he would try to keep him safe even if he wasn’t sick.</strike> </em> <strike></strike></p><p>
  <em>“Just trust me,” Dream muttered, avoiding the way Illumina’s eyes hardened at his statement, “If anything happens, feel free to cut me out of the group.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Just because of him?” Illumina questioned once again, now casting his gaze away.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“.. Yeah,” Dream admitted, letting out a breathy chuckle as he scratches his cheek, “Well, I’m planning to bring him back when he wakes up.”</em>
</p><p><em>Techno looked up and decided to chime in at that, giving him a sceptical glance, </em>“Bring him back? <em>The fuck do you mean?”</em></p><p>
  <em>“Bring him back,” Dream repeated, giving him a matter-of-fact look, “To L’Manburg, where he belongs.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He watched as Techno and Illumina gave each other an uneasy glance, but nodded at his words anyway.</em>
</p><p><em>“You’re smart, Dream,” Illumina spoke, his voice progressively growing harsher with each word, “Why would you do that? You’re going to </em>escort<em> the enemy back? Do you know how dangerous that is?”</em></p><p>
  <em>Dream stared, stunned as he had thought that they’d trust him with his decision. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“What- No, of course I know how dangerous that is!” Dream defends, placing down his bowl in case he accidentally throws it in a fit, “Look, I promise you I can handle this just fine- I can handle it, really, just trust me!”</em>
</p><p><em>“Imagine you pull an </em>Illumina<em>,” Techno snorts, causing the mentioned man to glare at him. Techno merely shrugs, turning back to Dream with a scowl, “Still, I don’t approve either. I stand by just stabbing him and sending him back to L’Manburg like the weirdoes they are- I still don’t understand how they can die and come back.”</em></p><p>
  <em>“Don’t-“ Illumina pinches the bridge of his nose, a heavy sigh escaping his lips, “- change the topic, Techno.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“How was I changing the-“</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Dream, how sure are you that this “plan” of yours is safe?” Illumina asks, exhausted by the conversation, “I trust you- I really do, but what the fuck?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Trust me,” Dream repeats, his voice genuine as he stares at Illumina in the eye, “I’m not going to fuck this up. Unlike you did when you got caught because-“</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Oh, come on!” Illumina shouts, the conversation taking a humorous turn as Techno joins in with ridiculing his failed plan to trap the Warriors that one time they had to save him form L’Manburg.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The rest of the meal was spent talking about their next plans, which were mostly about gathering resources and looking for means to get information about the Nether.. to which he smiles about. Both men stared at him, bewildered, before the cogs started turning in their heads as their gazes steer from him to the sleeping Warrior just a few paces away.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Dream finally grinned as he could literally see the realization light up in their faces, the slow nods that got progressively faster letting him know that they finally agreed to letting Dream keep George alive for a while.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Well, that was part of the reason. Another was that Dream just wanted to talk to George, maybe make amends. Whatever shall go later on.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>As the adrenaline was still running high in their veins, Techno and Illumina went off to the cave to continue mining, wanting to see if they could find diamonds.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>As for Dream.. well, he went to take care of George, healing potion in hand. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Remembering the last time they saw each other, he could remember George’s angry shouts, frustrated tears, and dishevelled appearance. He presses a hand against his throat, thickly swallowing as he could feel how hoarse George’s voice sounded.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Guilt pools in his stomach as he remembered the way George had ran away from him, leaving him on the floor from where he had tried to beat him up. Dream did not raise his hand once, he was so afraid to hurt George.</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>But what about the time you’ve been killing him over and over each time he had crossed your path as a Warrior? </strong>
</p><p>
  <em>His breath hitches as the thought appears in his mind, the guilt rising within him tenfold.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He could hear George groan in his sleep, slowly stirring awake. His eyes opened, dark brown meeting green, and Dream gave the other a tired smile.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” Dream had joked, only to groan as George had kicked his shin in response. He dropped onto one knee, hugging his shins, “Oww- is that how you treat someone who kept you alive?”</em>
</p><p><em>“For all I know- you could just be keeping me alive as a hostage!” George exclaimed, his voice sounding nasal and slurred. He whimpers, reaching up to clutch his head, </em>“Fuck<em>, this hurt..”</em></p><p>
  <em>“Want one?” Dream asked, showing the tiny bottle of  the healing potion he was holding in one hand, but then immediately grimacing when  he remembered how it affected the human body and attempting to backtrack. It was a futile attempt though, as George saw it  and gave him a pointed look.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Give me the potion,” George said, trying to sound threatening, “Or I’ll- I’ll stab myself and report to the Headquarters when I get back in L’Manburg.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Dream stared at him, not knowing if he meant that literally or was trying to threaten him. The two had gone back and forth with banters, helpfully provided by Dream, and threats, weak ones from George, though in the end Dream shrugged and handed the potion to George anyway. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Suit yourself.”</em>
</p><p>Which brings us to the situation right now, where Dream is watching George writhe in pain as he lets the potion effect take over him. While Dream pities the guy, he honestly found the situation funny as to how George was literally complaining and whining.</p><p>“I regret trusting you,” George groans, curling up into a fetal position as he sucks in sharp breaths with his hands pressed against his chest. Dream could tell that -the potion was about to be done healing what it could, where your heart feels like it’s undergoing cardiac arrest.He sees the way George’s body starts to relax, his breathing going from sharp to relieved as he tries to catch his breath.</p><p>“Do you feel better now?” Dream asks, his voice unexpectedly soft. George merely nods, draping an arm over his eyes, mouth slightly agape. He adjusts his position on the floor, sweeping away any sharp rocks and dust from where he was sitting. He instead uses this as a way to scoot a bit closer to George, sitting beside him rather than in front of him. He finally sits himself properly, asking, “Don’t you guys usually  use potions in  the hospitals of L’Manburg? How do you not know how a <em>healing </em>potion feels? You’re a <em>Warrior</em>.”</p><p>“We’re usually passed out when they give us the potion,” George says, sounding bitter, seeming to be purposefully avoiding eye contact. </p><p>Dream blinks, “That’s.. something we haven’t really thought of doing.”</p><p>“That’s dumb, coming from <em>The Trickster</em>,” George sneers, his eyes narrowing.</p><p>“Well, we don’t have the luxury of sleeping for long hours at a time, George,” Dream shouts back, voice heavy with bitterness and dripping sarcasm, but not meant to start a fight, only to keep the banter going. It backfires on him when he’s unable to stop the build up of frustration to slip to his voice. . </p><p>He stands up, noticing the way George looks a bit regretful. He stretches his arms upwards, saying, “Well, I’m going to have to take you back to L’Manburg-“</p><p>“By killing me?” George says, glaring up at him.</p><p>Dream stares at him, bewildered. <em>Kill</em> George? Why would he- how could he-</p><p>His mind brought him back to the thought he had earlier, having to look away so that George wouldn’t see the regret on his face. His mind brings him back to memories of him slashing his axe into their torsos and shooting his crossbow into their chests, their bodies disintegrating into dust in a matter of seconds before their blood could even splatter on the ground. He nearly winces, unclenching his hand as he had realised he had it in a tight fist.</p><p>In an attempt to make light of the situation, an uneasy chuckle escapes his lips as he says, “George, if I wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t have given you the potion.”</p><p>He couldn’t help the awkward laugh that had escaped his lips, turning around to head to the cave that Illumina and Techno had gone off to. He can hear the sound of their pickaxes whittle away at the stone, followed by stones scattering against the rocky ground as it echoes throughout the ravine.</p><p>He gets to the entrance, squinting at the brightness of the lanterns, cupping a hand around his mouth to yell “I’ll be right back, I’m taking George back to L’Manburg.”</p><p>Both men don’t really turn to his attention, though they do respond with a quick “sure” from Illumina and “don’t care” from Techno. He goes back to the campsite, to a George trying to sit up from where he was half laying on the bed. He could see the drowsiness in George’s eyes, something to be expected as a side effect of the healing potion. The only reason Dream didn't feel drowsy when he drank the potion a while ago is because he had gotten used to feeling tired all the time, as they always have to be on the run and can’t stay in one place long enough to get a decent sleep. There was never a proper time to relax, it’s always having to be running in the wilderness. They’ve gotten rather used to being light sleepers as well, you never know when you’ll wake up to someone standing in your camp ready to cuff and drag you back to L’Manburg, into the hands of Schlatt.</p><p>What a miserable ending that’d be.</p><p>“Well, George, it’s time for you to return,” Dream said, taking note of the way George’s body seems to be shivering, knowing that if he tried to stand up he would immediately tumble like a newborn deer . He sheathes an axe to his side, making sure he’s armed in case there were any mobs or any warriors suddenly finding them. Well, he’s hoping there’s no warriors anywhere because that would just be unfortunate- he also doesn’t want George to be framed by siding with a Runaway.</p><p>“You’re taking me back to L’Manburg?” George says, a look of disbelief on his face. Dream could understand why he wouldn’t believe him (well, he didn’t believe that he was <em>Clay</em> so what else could the guy believe in him?), merely averting his eyes as he briefly nods. Dream crouches down, looking off to the side just enough for him to look at George. The man stares at him in even more disbelief, saying, “What- What are you doing?”</p><p>“Hop on,” Dream says, a small mischievous looking smile on his lips. A memory flashes in the back of his head, remembering a time when they had done the same thing except George was the one carrying him. George continues to stare, feeling more and more suspicious of the other. Dream lets out a laugh, saying, “Oh come on now- I gave you a healing pot and now I’m offering to take you back to L’Manburg, what else could you not trust me for?”</p><p>“Everything,” George says, his voice soft yet his eyes were hardened, lined with something else Dream couldn’t figure out.</p><p>Dream thickly swallows, smiling sheepishly, “Well.. please?”</p><p>It took a bit more to persuade George to give in, since George had realised that the potion did not heal his fever but instead healed the cuts and bruises scattered across his body (<em>thanks, Techno,</em> Dream had thought for no reason whatsoever) and was still incredibly weak from the side effects of the potion. He grabbed George’s bag that he had on him during the combat and slung it on himself. (He was astounded how the three of them could fight with so much on them.)</p><p>Dream fixes George’s position on his back, making sure the guy was comfortable. He could tell that George didn’t like the position he was in, but he thanked the guy for not complaining. He takes note of the way George’s arms tighten by his shoulders, balancing himself on his back as he tests out snuggling closer to Dream or hanging loosely. Dream pretends not to notice as he starts to walk, instead letting a smile reign on his lips as he relishes in the fact that George was technically hugging him.</p><p> “Ah shit, I forget we were in a ravine..” Dream says, sucking in a breath as he gets to the lead that they tied to a nearby tree, which served as their way in and out of the ravine. He shifts George’s weight behind him, eyebrows furrowed as he thinks of a way to get out.</p><p>“You could just pearl out, you know?” George mumbles from his shoulder, his voice slowly becoming slurred. Dream nearly shudders from his breath brushing against his neck, though he focuses on their current situation as he tries to avoid the soft puffs of air warming his ear.</p><p>“Ravine’s too deep, and I doubt one pearl could teleport both of us out of here,” Dream says, fixing his hold on George’s legs so he was holding onto his shins and crosses them across his waist.</p><p>George yelps as Dream lets go of his legs and jolts him out of his near-sleep, causing him to tighten his hold on him, “What are you doing?!”</p><p>“Hold on tight,” Dream says, lightly laughing as he takes the ropes in his hands. Luckily he wore gloves for this type of situation- also to stop the skin of his hands before they break from using the axe too often. He takes his first step off the ground, trying to balance himself and George as he climbs his way out of the ravine.</p><hr/><p>This was dangerous, <em>this was highly dangerous</em>.</p><p>George couldn’t understand why Dream didn’t just use a pearl for the two of them to get out, and here he is choosing to risk both of their lives by <em>rock climbing inside of the ravine</em>. It was insane, <em>he</em> was insane!</p><p>He shuts his eyes, tightening his hold on the man- his limbs still feel sore from the potion’s effects, add to that his drowsy feeling from being sick, he felt like his hold on Dream would slip and he would fall to his death.</p><p>He takes a quick peek towards the ground, his heart racing as he realised they were at least halfway out of the ravine. His breath hitches, eyes shutting once again as he presses his forehead against Dream’s shoulder.</p><p>“Calm down, I’m not going to drop you,” Dream teasingly says, though he could hear the strain in his voice as he struggles to get towards the surface. His hands start to shiver against the rope yet his feet are placed properly against the wall, trying not to drop the both of them, “I can handle this.”</p><p>“You’re shaking,” George says, eyes still shut as he braces himself for any type of risky, stupid thing that Dream might do. Soon he feels Dream heave himself onto the surface, with George being forced to push his weight against the taller male. Feeling a bit bad, he rolls off of Dream to let him stand, hearing his heavy breaths and coughs he’s trying to hide. He sits up, wincing at the way his limbs are still sore, asking, “You okay?”</p><p>Dream merely looks up with a smile, flashing him a thumbs up as he says, “I’m fine, come on now.”</p><p>They assume the previous position once again (this time with less arguing from George), where Dream carries George on his back. </p><p>George lays his head on his shoulder, trying to deny the way he already feels comfortable in his position. His head spins a little, causing him to shut his eyes as he lets out a small whimper.</p><p>“Am I holding you too tight?” Dream asks, the concern in his voice almost too sweet- it was too kind, it contrasted the way he presented himself earlier in the battle; it was obvious that he had been hardened in the art of combat, being able to use the axe and manoeuvre it around so effortlessly. It honestly scared George- even he wasn’t that good at the sword and yet Dream was here swinging his axe with the intent to kill. It was terrifying, George couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that the Dream he’s with right now sounds.. kind.</p><p>
  <em>He’s a Runaway, he’s the Trickster. How is he kind?</em>
</p><p>
  <strike>George tries to avoid the voice in his head saying that Runaways are people too.</strike>
</p><p>“I’m fine,” George mumbles, eyebrows furrowing as he battles the growing conflict in his mind. He’s with Dream. Dream was a Runaway. He had been hunting Dream for as long as he was a Warrior. Dream had killed him time and time again when they at least touch a hair on his head. Dream was here. He was holding George. He had an argument with Dream a while ago. Dream was Clay. Clay was alive. <em>Clay is alive</em>.</p><p>He holds back the question he’s been wanting to ask, even having to bite his tongue just so he wouldn’t say anything that can be used against him. He has to think about this properly, he has to word it so that he wouldn’t ridicule himself-</p><p>“Are you really Clay?” He speaks, unable to keep quiet. He feels the split-second pause in Dream’s steps, causing fear and paranoia to settle in his gut as he realises what he has said.</p><p>
  <em>That is not what I meant to ask-</em>
</p><p>“Do you really not believe me, George?” Dream says with a sigh, fixing George’s position on his back, “It’s me. I’m Clay.”</p><p>Still, George didn’t want to give in just yet, “How did we meet?”</p><p>Another sigh, “At school, with Nick, he accidentally bumped me into you when the three of us were signing up for the same club.”</p><p>He’s not yet convinced, “Which club was it?”</p><p>He sounds a bit amused, “Combat club.”</p><p>He still doesn’t want to admit defeat, “Who would always win when we sparred?”</p><p>There was a rather confident scoff, “Me, of course.”</p><p>George nearly snorts at the answer, but it was the truth anyway. He remembers the moments where Clay had him pinned down on the grass, laughing victoriously as he points his sword (which was really just a stick) at his neck.</p><p>He doesn’t know what else to ask- but here’s the kicker, “Do you have a favourite book?”</p><p>Trick question, George thinks with a smile. Clay had-</p><p>“None,” Dream answers, chuckling, “Anything else, George?”</p><p>George rests his head against Dream’s shoulder, finally admitting defeat. He can feel tears threatening to drop, but he holds them back. </p><p>“I still don’t forgive you,” George says, tone filled with poison but it lacked the bite to be effective. He’s still bitter about it- of course he would be. Put anyone in his position, how the hell is he even supposed to feel <em>properly</em> about this entire situation?</p><p>Dream merely hums, “I didn’t really expect you to.. but do you still not believe me?”</p><p>“Shut up,” George sharply says, feeling embarrassed while being bitter, “I believed that you were dead for 10 years.”</p><p>“That’s a long time,” Dream comments.</p><p>“Too long for me to realise you were alive this entire time,” George grumbles, still overly bitter about the entire situation. He bites back a snarky remark of <em>“add to that the countless times you’ve technically killed me whenever we hunt you down” </em>, knowing that he wouldn’t have the emotional capacity to engage in a heavy conversation. His head was spinning and everything felt cold. He lays his head on Dream’s shoulder, saying in an unexpectedly soft voice, “Why didn’t you come back?”</p><p>He feels the split-second pause once again, knowing that Dream’s thinking upon his question. It was the question that George had wanted to ask in the first place, as he had spent days contemplating for hours on end on <em>why the hell didn’t Clay just come back instead of making them all believe that he was dead?</em></p><p>George didn’t understand- he couldn’t really understand. If Clay came back, he wouldn’t have been known as the Trickster, he wouldn’t have been a Runaway, and he wouldn’t have...  He wouldn’t have to be one of the people assigned to arrest Clay.</p><p>Dream pauses, the two of them standing in the middle of the plains. George swallows, wondering if he shouldn’t have asked.</p><p>
  <em>But he deserved to know. Why wouldn’t he, when he spent the last ten years just.. missing him.</em>
</p><p>“Do you remember the fire?” Dream asks, before continuing to walk. </p><p>A question as simple as that, George remembers a memory he only lets himself remember on the day of Clay’s supposed death anniversary.</p><p>
  <strong>The memory, the reason why he couldn’t believe that Clay was alive.</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>They saw the fire when it had already swallowed the entire house; the smoke billowed across the town, causing people to choke up and struggle to breathe while they tried to drown out the flames with buckets of water. There were scattered shouts and booming yells, all the adults in the area desperately trying to save the house of their dearly beloved Cartographer and Librarian. Those who were capable worked together to pass around buckets, forming a chain to work more efficiently. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>George was one of those choking- and yet it wasn’t because of the smoke. He had been crying out, sobbing as he tried to get out of the grasp of his friends. He struggled, and yet every time he managed to yank his arm away, another hand was there to restrain him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He yelled.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Clay has to be in there!” He screamed, desperately trying to get out of Nick’s hold on his torso and Wilbur’s grasp on his arm with Darryl holding the other, “We have to save him, why isn’t there anyone saving him?!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“There are already people trying to save them, George!” Darryl shouted, his voice cracking and sore from wailing as he tried to hold on to George’s stubborn self. He choked, tears streaming down on his face as he tried to reason with the boy, “There’s nothing we can do, just calm down!”</em>
</p><p><em>“What do you mean </em>calm down?!” <em>George exclaimed, fed up with his friends’ hold on him, “Clay is </em>dying<em>- how can I calm down?! You’re not even calm yourself!”</em></p><p>
  <em>“George, please,” Nick said, his voice weak as his hold merely tightened around George, his hold more of a hug as he buried his face into the older one’s shoulder. His tears started to soak into George’s shirt, and that seemed to wash away the panic and disorder inside of George’s mind as the fire burned into the back of his retinas, the heat and the smoke causing his eyes to water endlessly as he stared into the fire.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“What are we going to do, Nick?” George asked him, finally giving in as he helplessly stared at the roaring flames swallowing the house up in its entirety, the roof caving in and possibly crushing those who might have been under it, “Where is he? Why isn’t anyone bringing him back to us?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>His knees buckled, lips quivering as he fought back a wail, “He just can’t.. be gone..”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The arms holding him back loosen, yet he didn’t have the energy to try and run up to check if Clay was alive. The fight in him had been burnt by the raging flames towering over the houses in the area, with him drowning himself in his tears as he buries his face into Nick’s welcoming arms, the both of them grieving over a friend that they might lose.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>By the time the flames had died and only ashes and burnt stone had remained, there were no survivors.</em>
</p><p>“George?”</p><p>He blinks back into reality, feeling a wet spot on where he had been laying his head on Dream.</p><p>“Why are you crying?” Dream asks, his tone soft. It was caring. It was kind. It was.. it was Clay’s sincerity.</p><p>“The fire,” George croaks out, only then becoming aware of the roughness of his voice, the tears that he had shed while he relived the memory in his mind, “I remember it.. I.. Clay, what happened that day?”</p><p>Dream stays silent for a while, as if contemplating whether or not he should answer. George waits, curiosity spiralling out of control as he bites his tongue to stop himself from pushing Dream into answering, crossing an invisible line. When he shuts his eyes he can see the flames, even feeling the waves of warmth that burned his eyes and made him sick in the stomach as he stared up at it. </p><p>“I had.. I was..” Dream starts, sounding unsure about how he’ll word his answer. George eagerly waits, just wanting to know the reason why.</p><p>He might be able to find it in himself to forgive Clay if he knew.</p><p>“I was outside,” Dream starts, his voice small and slow, as if approaching a frightened animal, “I was practicing how to fish, and on my way back that’s when I noticed the fire. I was on my way home when Blade-“</p><p>He suddenly pauses, and George hears the reason why as his breath gets caught in his throat. There was a rustle in the forest, a tell-tale sign that they weren’t alone. George feels Dream’s shoulders tense as he makes a move to lower George to the ground, get ready to fight if need be, and braces himself for a Warrior that might have been on a night hunt, wondering if Dream would be able to handle the battle-</p><p>“Dream? What are you doing here?”</p><p>George looks up, seeing the warm flame of a torch illuminating a familiar man.</p><p>His eyes widen.</p><p>“Is that George behind you- why is he with you? Don’t tell me you kidnapped <em>Gogy</em>,” Wilbur says, looking highly suspicious of Dream.</p><p>“It’s..” Dream hesitates, sighing before continuing, “It’s pretty complicated.” </p><p>His posture slouches as he feels the soreness of his muscles begin to catch up with him and shifts on his feet with impatience. “Can George stay here for the night? He’s sick and, uh, I can’t really bring him directly to L’Manburg because..”</p><p>His voice trails off, but it was already understood why that is so. Wilbur merely stares at both of their tired figures and sighs, leading them towards a clearing. The way Dream walks around the area makes George wonder whether he’s already been here- does that mean that Wilbur knows how Clay has been alive this entire time?</p><p>He couldn’t wrap his head around the concept, how did Wilbur know?</p><p>They pass through vines, with George shuddering at how they tickle his neck and ears. He feels the way Dream’s hands squeeze the back of his knees as he did so.</p><p>He found it oddly comforting.</p><p>“Oh, right, uh, Wilbur. I might need to, um, borrow some paper and a quill to… to write,” Dream says, placing George down on a bed that Wilbur had offered. It was better than what they had back at the ravine, but still didn’t seem all that comfortable. George lets out a sigh of relief as his body relaxes against the soft linen, feeling the tension of his muscles that came to be from the way Dream had carried him on his back. </p><p>“What for?” He hears Wilbur ask, though their voices slowly become background noise to George as he looks across from where he was laying and finds Tommy on a bed, sleeping soundly.</p><p>Time seems to pass by quickly as Dream appears in front of him again, holding a piece of paper folded neatly in half and slipping it into his hands.</p><p>“Read this and keep it hidden,” He says in an uncharacteristically quiet voice, “Don’t throw it away. <em>Please</em> do me this one favour.”</p><p>“Why?” George asks, eyebrows furrowing. He opens the paper, seeing the set of instructions written in it. He looks back up at Dream, a warning look in his eye as he frowns, “You know that I’m going to report you, right?”</p><p>“I spared your life,” Dream says, standing up with a cheeky grin, “You owe me. Now I’m cashing in that favour.”</p><p>“That’s not how this works,” George argues, barely sitting up as he weakly glares at the male, “I’m not doing this.”</p><p>“It’s one last thing you can do for me,” Dream tells him, the sincerity in his voice almost enough to convince George, “Do this for me. Please.”</p><p>“You haven’t told me why you left.” George says in a low voice.</p><p>He pauses, glancing off to the side as he responds, “I’ll tell you soon. Once you’ve done that.”</p><p>George doesn’t know why he’s agreeing, but he nods anyway. He watches as Dream disappears into the vines, walking away from Wilbur’s.. cave? Home? He doesn’t really know, but it’s where Wilbur seems to be staying for the past year and a half.</p><p>“How did you end up with him?” Wilbur asks, his voice echoing softly throughout the place. George turns his head, hearing the clacking of bowls and utensils as Wilbur arranges the contents of the table</p><p>George sighs as he stares up at the rocky ceiling, “It’s a long story..”</p><p>Silence cuts into the air, and he just had to ask.</p><p>“When did you find out that Clay was alive?” </p><p>Wilbur spares him a glance, finishing up with his task before answering, “A little earlier than you did, I guess.”</p><p>George shuts his eyes, feeling a bit annoyed. No, not a bit, he was <em>annoyed</em>.</p><p>“Do you know why he left?” He asks, not even trying to mask how he felt.</p><p>“That’s what I want to know too,” Wilbur tells him, picking up a set of papers from the table and heading deeper into the cave, “Get some rest, Gogy.”</p><p>One last question rests on his lips, and he never gets to ask it as he opens his eyes to an empty room.</p><p>His arm finds its place on his eyes again, and he shuts them as he looks back to the incident ten years ago.</p><p>Clay knew about the fire.. he wasn’t caught in the flames.</p><p>But why didn’t he come back?</p><p>
  <em>“I was on my way back when Blade-“</em>
</p><p>Blade.. Wilbur’s brother.. what did he have to do with Clay?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>HOW IS EVERYONE FEELING ABOUT THE BLOODVINES AND TALES FORM THE SMP?? Karl's so great with his streams, I like how he's putting a lot of work into planning the lore!! i love it so much!!</p><p>ALSO AAAA?? DREAM RELEASED MUSIC POG??? HE HAS MUSIC??? WILDT AMIRITE?!?! I'VE BEEN PLAYING IT ON LOOP EVER SINCE OH MY GODSS</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. 10 | coming into terms</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>George does Dream a favour.</p><p>Dream argues with Techno.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>gOds this chapter was long!! karlnap shippers- go get your meal, there's some karlnap content! note that i said some, but i'll make sure to add more karlnap soon :)) preferrably when sapnap is awake ahehe</p><p>again thank you to @SpaceMom!! i appreciate them so much!! &lt;3</p><p>ALSO GODSSS 10 CHAPTERS POG, HOPING TO REACH 15 SOON!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> “Hey Wilbur.. I have a favour.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Everyone in the room stopped in their tracks. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “A favour?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “It’s..” He bit his lip, feeling embarrassed now that he’s talking out loud. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “.. Gogy?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Everyone was curious. He looked away. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Can you beat me up?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Wilbur stared at him incredulously. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Tommy slowly started to grin as he brought his hands up to crack his knuckles. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Wilbur put a hand on Tommy’s hands, slowly bringing them down. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Tommy’s still grinning. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “What?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> He was still looking away. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Gladly-“ </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Tommy, no-” </em>
</p><p>Needless to say, he got the favour he needed as he limps through the forest, his bag slung against his back as he tries to avoid the pain shooting up his leg every time he walks. Tommy had kicked him harder than he should have, and he should have stopped when he’d given the older man a black eye.</p><p>Still, he asked for it- he even egged on Tommy when Wilbur has warned the teen about hurting George too much. Well, he reaps what he had sown; now he’s in pain as he walks towards L’Manburg’s borders. He looks up at what remains of the walls, weeks of labour had stripped it to half of what used to be its height.</p><p>George had often looked up to the walls, feeling secure in their presence as they’ve been educated when they were younger about when L’Manburg was just about to be founded, Pillagers and Villagers were in constant conflict, and Ancient Builders had formed the country in order to keep people safe. Sure, there were still Villages found somewhere across the land, but almost no one went outside since the country was a safe place for everyone to live in and thrive.</p><p>He lets out a groan once he has gotten himself out of the forest, no trees to shade him anymore as the stark heat begins to give him a headache. It slowly simmers, paired with the pain of being beaten up by frickin’ <em> Tommy </em>. The kid was lanky and thin, but boy could he pack a punch.</p><p>He remembers a time where he, Clay, and Nick would just be walking around L’Manburg and they’d encounter Wilbur dragging Tommy away from a crying group of boys he had beaten up. Tommy was a wild child and he did not hesitate to throw hands when he or his family had been insulted.</p><p>He brings a hand up to wipe the sweat that had collected from his forehead, short puffs of breaths escaping his lips as the sun grows harsher the more he walks under it. His footsteps start to sound crunchy to his ears once his feet touch a gravel path, an all too familiar path to everyone leaving L’Manburg.</p><p>How long has it been- ten, fifteen, thirty minutes? An hour? He couldn’t tell, all he knows is that the sun is shining high in the sky, the soft breeze isn’t enough to cool him down, his bag is becoming heavier, the ache in his leg seems to be worse, there’s shouting in the distance, and the world seems to be tilting on its axis as his head hits the ground-</p><p>George  wakes up in a jolt, eyes wide and hands clammy as he clutches the sheets to his chest. He looks around frantically, instantly calming down when he spots his teammates asleep around him. He grimaces, seeing the bandages wrapped around their bodies. It showed where they were shot and stabbed by the Runaways, while George had bandages on his head and leg.</p><p>He lies back down, staring up at the blank ceiling before pulling the sheets up to his eyes to shield them for the light shining in from the window.</p><p>At least he didn’t have to explain to them how he got back, they’re still in a coma from the side effects of the Respawn Anchor.</p><p>His eyebrows furrow, realising that he still has a respawn.</p><p>Well, it’s not like they’ll ever know.</p><p>The door opens, causing him to sit up in surprise. His eyes widen, seeing Karl by the door. He notices George being awake, his eyebrows shooting up in shock as he waves, stunned, “H-Hi! George! You’re awake- uh, how?”</p><p>“It’s.. a long story,” George explains, just realising that he has to explain to the other Warriors how he wasn’t sent back through the Respawn Anchor. He’ll have to make up an explanation as to how he came back.</p><p>“Oh, uh, I understand,” Karl nods, closing the door and sitting down by the chair available in the room. George notices the way the chair is by Sapnap’s bed, giving the man a raised eyebrow. Karl merely smiles, cheeks flushing as he sheepishly scratches the back of his head, “Worried for my friend..”</p><p>“Your friend,” George repeats, a light-hearted smile on his lips as he rests against the headboard of the bed, “Sure, Karl.”</p><p>Karl chuckles awkwardly, leaning back into his chair as the rosiness of his cheeks start to diminish, “So, uh, how are you, George?”</p><p>George’s mind goes back to last night, his arms around Dream’s shoulders. For some reason, he doesn’t scowl. It’s more of a bittersweet smile this time.</p><p>
  <em> Clay is alive. </em>
</p><p>“I’m.. doing fine, I guess,” George says, pulling his knees up to his chest. He winces as his leg aches once he does so, remembering that earlier in the morning Tommy had kicked him until he was bruises all over.</p><p>He swears he’s going to knock the kid out the next chance he gets.</p><p>“That’s good,” Karl sits up, his posture much happier now than the somber way he held himself earlier, “I remember the time I was with Sapnap and the two of you had to talk.. I was worried, I was also there when you broke down on.. uh, Clay’s..”</p><p>His voice trails off, but George could hear the rest of the sentence loud and clear.</p><p>They met Karl around the time of Schlatt’s inauguration, he had bumped against Sapnap and accidentally spilled his drink on the guy. It was a funny first meeting, but he had ended up growing close to them to the point that he joined them in being a Warrior. He had always been there for them, mostly for Sapnap, but also George since the two always stuck together after Clay’s death. Even if they’ve just met him a year and a half ago, he was still a great addition to their group. It was a great way for Sapnap to open up and be himself, since he had just been a shell of himself all these years since the incident.</p><p>Well, George was as well, and he’s still trying to find a way to “re-learn” who he was when Clay was still alive.</p><p>“You think they’re going to wake up soon?” Karl asks, his voice sounding somber as he watches Sapnap’s sleeping figure. </p><p>George hides a smile, averting his gaze towards his bed sheets as he responds, “I guess, give it a day or two. Being respawned sucks, but it’s literally life-saving.”</p><p>“True,” Karl says, letting out nervously chuckle as he pulls his knees up to his chest, trying to fit himself onto the chair provided in the room, “It feels so weird how your body just turns to dust and you wake up still whole- how did they even think about that concept?”</p><p>“I don’t know either,” something right beside his bed catches George’s eyes, and he sees his bag. He raises his eyebrows wondering why it was with him and not sent to his room like they usually were when they respawn. He reaches down to pick it up and place it on his bed, opening it to reveal his items. He catches a piece of paper shoved at the side, remembering Dream’s instructions in his head.</p><p>His face warms at the thought.</p><p>He looks up, seeing the clock by the wall; it reads out that it’s already quarter to five in the afternoon. He licks his lips, asking, “Karl, what time does the library close?”</p><p>“I- what?” Karl looks up from Sapnap, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.</p><p>“What time does the library close?” George repeats, “I know you go there sometimes, it’s alright if you don’t know.“</p><p>“It closes around ten in the evening,” Karl answers, bringing his legs back down onto the floor, “Why, do you need something from there? I could get it for you, if you want-“</p><p>“No, no, I want you to come with me instead,” George offers a small smile.</p><p>He avoids Karl’s confused look, but the man nods regardless.</p><p>“Sure.” His mouth forms an “o” shape and a look of realization passes by his face when George keeps looking at him. </p><p>“Oh, do you want to go now?” Karl stands after George had nodded, saying, “I’ll go ask if you’re allowed to go out, hold on a sec-“</p><p>He heads out of the door, and by the time it closes George immediately takes the note out of his bag. It was crumpled by the way he had just shoved it in, but the words on it were still readable.</p><p>
  <b>George, do me a favour. Go to our old library. Open the farthest bookshelf from the stairs on the second floor. I need you to take a maroon hardbound book. If it has a drawing of a black Skeleton, that’s the right one. Give it to Tubbo. Trust me, he’s safe.</b>
</p><p>His eyes widen.</p><p>Give it to <em> Tubbo? </em>  Schlatt’s right hand man?</p><p>Wait, why even choose Tubbo in the first place? Has Tubbo met Dream? Does Dream even know that Tubbo works for Schlatt?</p><p>A million questions race through his head, and he struggles to comprehend each and every question he’s asking because out of all people why would he choose <em> Tubbo </em> to be the one to receive whatever book Dream is making him get-</p><p>He pauses, eyes widening as he realises that Tubbo was the one who gave him the compass.</p><p>The compass that had a note <em> written by Dream himself </em>.</p><p>Was.. Was Tubbo working with Dream?</p><p><em> Why did George even agree to doing </em> his <em> favour in the first place?! </em></p><p>
  <b>It’s so you can get answers, George, didn’t you want to know why Dream didn’t come back?</b>
</p><p>He  swallows thickly at the thought, staring back down at the note Dream wrote to him. He runs a finger through the written words on the paper, just realising that the penmanship matched Clay’s from all those years ago at school. It matched- almost perfectly, but it was the same. The way he wrote the tittle on his i’s as a small circle instead of a dot, the n’s and m’s not having a line at the beginning and were just curves with the open end pointing down- the handwriting almost felt like home.</p><p>He remembers the days where he and Clay would write notes and leave them in their lockers simply because their schedules didn’t match at school, so they would use this method to pick where they wanted to meet up after school.</p><p>He smiles fondly at the paper, memories from those days flooding his mind-</p><p>“Hey George, the nurses said that you could-“</p><p>George’s arm burns as he buries his hand into his bag in a rush to not get caught red-handed, the friction of his skin rubbing against leather almost stinging him. He looks up at Karl, eyes wide as his soon return catches him off guard. His eyes land on the clock, realising that it hadn’t been “so soon” as a few minutes had past five already.</p><p>
  <em> How much time did he spend just thinking about Clay and the pen-pal thing they used to do? </em>
</p><p>“Are- Are you okay?” Karl asks, genuinely concerned as he places down a spare change of clothes, “I took the time to run to Headquarters and bring you some clothes..”</p><p>“I’m fine, I’m fine, really. Thank you,” George lets go of the paper, the note safely tucked into where it was before, and pulls his hand out of the bag to reach for the set of clothes Karl had brought him, “What did you say?”</p><p>“The nurses said you could go out, since your injuries weren’t as fatal as theirs,” Karl glances at his teammates, eyes lingering on Sapnap’s unconscious body, and turns back to George, “It’s just a few minutes past five, we could get back here earlier before visiting hours are over since the nurses said something about Quackity or Tubbo having to talk to you.”</p><p>George stares, his pulse picking up as he wonders why either of them has to talk to him. It’s more likely about why he had returned to L’Manburg <em> himself </em> rather than through the Respawn Anchor. It’s definitely that.. it’s definitely.. about that..</p><p>“George?”</p><p>He blinks back to his senses, dumbly staring at Karl. Karl stares back, still concerned.</p><p>“You just want to watch over Sapnap,” George teases as soon as he’s back to his senses, and he has to hold back his laughter by the way Karl’s face reddens immediately.</p><p>“Let’s just go, George,” Karl insists, heading out of the door and closing it. George lets out a breath before he changes his clothes, placing the hospital gown on the bed before pocketing the note. He glances at his teammates, still fast asleep; he owes them an apology, not that they’re going to know about it.</p><p>He heads out of the room to find Karl leaning against the wall, patiently waiting for him. He spots George, smiling as he takes his weight off the wall and walks towards him, “Ready to go?”</p><p>“Yeah, let’s,” George says after closing the door behind him, following Karl out of the hospital. He tries to avoid the scent of potions in the air, just hating how prominent it is, since it was practically nauseating for him. He almost gags when he’s reminded of how a healing potion tastes, it’s sweet yet disgustingly metallic- that’s the best way he could explain it.</p><p>He’s so glad the hospital usually gives them potions while passed out, he can’t for the life of him understand how Dream could drink a potion while conscious.</p><p>He takes a deep breath when they get out of the hospital door, thankful for the way the day was cloudy with the wind blowing through them coolly. The cold season was nearing, after all.</p><p>“Why did you want to go to the library, by the way?” Karl asks, burying his hands deeper into his hoodie’s pockets as the wind slightly picks up.</p><p>George hums, pondering about his question as he stares straight on ahead, eyes squinting a few times from the wind blowing in their eyes, “Well, um.. I just wanted to visit it without any hard feelings.”</p><p>Karl’s eyes linger on him a second longer before focusing on the road in front of them. George ignores his friend’s odd antics, figuring it must be because of his different upbringing.  The guy came from a village from the west, as he claims, so he acts a bit different from L’Manburg’s norms. Their customs were different.</p><p>They pass by the bakery, mouths watering at the scent of baked goods wafting in the air as they invitingly flow through the wide-open doors of the establishment. They raise a hand to wave at Puffy and Niki, who had been working inside the bakery.</p><p>“Man, we gotta buy some muffins later, they sound so good right now,” Karl says, lightly whining as he rubs his stomach, “It sucks that we can’t eat in the library.”</p><p>“You’re allowed to, as long as the librarian doesn’t see you,” George casually shrugs, a mischievous smile making itself known on his lips as he remembers a time he, Clay, and Sapnap used to sneak cookies into the library so they could have a snack while reading books.</p><p>Karl gives him an incredulous look, “George, that’s.. that’s illegal.”</p><p>“It worked for me,” George grins with a wink, causing Karl to laugh. While it seemed uncharacteristic for George to break Library rules, it was really because of Clay that they used to sneak in food.</p><p>They finally get to the library and walk up its steps. The door opens before them, revealing Tubbo who was on his way out. He stops in his tracks, seeing the two of them at the door.</p><p>George stares, remembering the note that Dream gave him as well as what Karl had told him.</p><p>The way Tubbo looks at him for a second confirms that- he’s to be questioned later.</p><p>He swallows.</p><p>“Mr. Karl and Mr. George! I didn’t expect to find you here, how are you this afternoon?” Tubbo asks, smiling cheerfully as he closes the door behind him, standing off to the side right after.</p><p>“Tubbo!” Karl greets, smiling back as they step off to the side to avoid blocking the door, “We’re doing fine, George kind of just woke up from his rest, and here we are visiting the library.”</p><p>Tubbo looks at George, concerned as he takes note of the bandages on his body, “Oh no- did you guys encounter trouble while you were out?”</p><p>George stares, shouldn’t it have been obvious?</p><p>“Well, uh,” He averts his eyes, rubbing a hand against his forearm as he says, “We encountered three Runaways..”</p><p>He watches as Tubbo looks alarmed, so he specifies, “<em> The </em> three Runaways.”</p><p>Tubbo’s jaw slacks in shock.</p><p>As did Karl, as he didn’t expect to hear that from George.</p><p>George feels like he said too much.</p><p>“<em> You encountered all three of them together?!” </em> Tubbo exclaims, catching the attention of those passing by the library. Tubbo raises a hand in apology to them, smiling sheepishly, before turning back to George, “All three of them- really? Was Dream there? Technoblade? Illumina?”</p><p>George nods with the mention of each name, nervously smiling, “It was a heavy battle.. I fought with Technoblade mostly, I was supporting Sapnap.”</p><p>Tubbo makes an “oof” sound, lightly flinching at the thought, “That sucks. Technoblade’s a force to be reckoned with, huh? I’ve talked with the other Warriors, they pretty much fear him to death.”</p><p>“He’s definitely scary,” Karl adds, lightly shuddering, “I’ve encountered him with the team and we ended up being the ones hunted.”</p><p>The three of them shudder at the thought. Technoblade was terrifying, he was a beast at combat. He’d face Warriors head on and battle them 4 versus 1.</p><p>“Well, gentlemen, I think I’ve taken up most of your time, I’ve got a meeting to attend to,” Tubbo digs out his pocket watch from his suit’s jacket, reading the time, “And I’m almost late too! I’ve gotta run off, see you guys around!”</p><p>“See you Tubbo!” Karl calls out.</p><p>“Sorry we didn’t get you any ores, Tubbo!” George says.</p><p>“It’s fine, Mr. George!” Tubbo shouts before turning the corner all the way back to headquarters, where the government office was found. He suddenly appears once more, seeming to walk backwards as he calls out, “Mr. George, I forgot- I’ll be talking to you later, if you know what I mean!”</p><p>George’s blood runs cold through that reminder, but somehow he’s comforted by the fact that it’s Tubbo who’s going to talk to him and not Quackity.</p><p>If he’s going to choose a lesser of two evils (he internally apologises to both Quackity and Tubbo for calling them “evil”), he’d rather have Tubbo talk to him than Quackity.</p><p>One, Quackity is closer to Schlatt as his vice president, and two, he gets quite intimidating when he’s serious.</p><p>Tubbo seems rather laidback while still being strict and responsible with his job, even if many in L’Manburg had pitied him for having such a high position despite being a teenager.</p><p>Karl opens the door to the library, smiling at George, “Shall we?”</p><p>George follows after him, the two of them heading inside the library. His eyes scale the walls, familiarity rushing through him. He remembers a time when he, Nick, and Clay would spend hours inside the library just going through books and reading them out in ridiculous voices, taking turns to see who could make the other laugh the most. Sometimes Wilbur joined them, sometimes Quackity, and there was a time when all of them as friends hung out at the library just to read books in funny voices.</p><p>He misses that moment; he could hear the laughter echoing throughout the library as they passed around a book they randomly chose. Bad and Eret were good at doing different voices, but Eret was the one who won as “King” as they put it.</p><p>“I’ll sit here, George,” Karl calls out softly, holding up a book as he takes a seat by an unoccupied table, “Take your time, I’ll be here.”</p><p>George nods, pretending to look around for a book before heading up the stairs, making sure that no one was there. The thing about the library is that almost no one went to the second floor unless they were hiding from the librarian to eat a snack they brought inside. He chuckles as he remembers how the three of them would always make a beeline for the stairs whenever they brought snacks for their reading sessions.</p><p>He takes out the paper from his pocket, unfolding it and silently reading out the words.</p><p>
  <b>Open the farthest bookshelf from the stairs.</b>
</p><p>What the hell does that mean?</p><p>George looks back to make sure that there was no one behind him, taking a deep breath before walking towards the bookshelf Dream had mentioned. It was filled with random books, dust covering the shelves as evidence that no one really read anything from this section. He glances back at the note in his hand before folding and pocketing it, holding the side of the entire bookshelf.</p><p>He tries pushing it to the side, but to no avail. He tries pushing it back, but it doesn’t really work. He thinks back to the note, seeming suspicious as he holds onto the side and pulls it towards him, feeling it budge.</p><p>His eyes widen, prying it further to fully pull it open. His heart drops at the way it creaks, but surely it didn’t reach all the way down. He immediately heads inside, not wanting to be caught <em> discovering a secret room in the Library that nobody knew it had </em>.</p><p>Of course, nobody except <em> Dream </em>, that is.</p><p>It was pitch black inside the room, and it being stuffy and dusty wasn’t easy on his breathing at all. He covers his nose and mouth with the collar of his shirt to avoid inhaling dust, palming the closest wall until he feels a switch. He flicks it open, shutting his eyes at the sudden flash of light.</p><p>He walks a few steps forwards, blinking as he takes in the sight before him.</p><p>To his left was a bookshelf half filled with books, to his right was a desk with a stack of parchment, quills in a jar, books messily stacked on each other, scrolls in a vase, and a few maps scattered on the table.</p><p>He’s never heard of this place before- <em> Clay </em> had never mentioned this place before.</p><p>He never knew that the Library had a secret room in the first place.</p><hr/><p>He doesn’t know why he wrote two letters.</p><p>One to George and one to Wilbur.</p><p>Dream owes either one too many favours, but both had something that he needed.</p><p>George has to get him that book about the Nether that his parents had in <em> that </em>room, and Wilbur has to receive the book from Tubbo where Dream will go and fetch it.. unless he planned otherwise. He’s not so sure when he can go back to Wilbur’s place, not with their current situation.</p><p>They at least have a few hours before they have to leave the ravine, since there’s a big chance that the Warriors they fought the day before will definitely report to their boss that they’re in the area.</p><p>So it’s most likely that they’re going to send Warriors to try and capture them while they’re there- and it was purely coincidental that they came to the ravine itself! It’s not like anyone knew they were in there!</p><p>Unless.. it was actually Dream’s fault because he gave George the compass?</p><p>He pauses in his tracks, holding his pickaxe over his head as he thinks about it. He recounts the moments when he had left the compass at Wilbur’s place. The next day they found the ravine they’re currently in, and there was enough time for Wilbur to have given Tubbo the compass to give to George, and that afternoon was the moment that they encountered the Warriors..</p><p>He inhales, realising that he had been holding his breath.</p><p>Was it Dream’s fault they got ambushed?</p><p>He chews on the inside of his cheek in paranoia, venting his frustration out by slamming his pickaxe back down into the rocks; they decided to stay in the ravine for an hour or two just to get a few more ores for themselves before packing up and hiding in where they were supposed to go to in the first place (the actual ravine that they marked off in their maps before they found the deeper one they’re currently in).</p><p>It’s not like the first thing that George did when he found the compass was immediately report that he knows where Dream is, right?</p><p><em> Let’s think this through </em>, he tells himself, trying to think of any possible scenario in which the Warriors finding them in the ravine was purely coincidental.</p><p>When Dream had first seen them peeking into the ravine, he did not hear anyone say “There they are!”. It was more like they were surprised to find them inside.. so it was definitely a coincidence that they ended up meeting in the ravine, right?</p><p>It <em> had </em> to be a coincidence. There was just no way that George told them about the compass.. right..?</p><p>He wasn’t so sure anymore.</p><p>He had faith that George wouldn’t.. unless he was wrong about it.</p><p>“So,” Techno speaks up, his voice echoing throughout the ravine. Dream pauses in his hacking away at the poor stone, noticing Techno’s tone; it was obvious he had something to ask- he had so much to ask.</p><p>And Techno was the <em> worst </em> person to be interrogated by.</p><p>“So,” Dream repeats, almost mocking him. He turns, only to find that the light-haired male had been glowering at him; his forehead creased, mouth curled into a scowl, maroon eyes staring straight through him as if assessing his sins.</p><p>He feels the urge to swallow, his tongue sitting heavy in his mouth with his rising heartbeats,  but he can’t. That would mean he’s showing off that he’s afraid.</p><p>That’s something he doesn’t want to admit, especially not to Techno.</p><p>“That compass you had,” Techno continues, dropping his pickaxe. It clatters as it hits the floor, echoing throughout the cavern ominously before stilling on the ground. He lowers his head, asking, “What did you do with it?”</p><p>“My compass,” Dream says, dropping his pickaxe as well. It clatters, but it doesn’t have the same effect as Techno’s. He pats his pocket, as if emphasizing, “What about it?”</p><p>Usually he’d feel comfort in the fact that he had something connected to George, but at the moment it’s causing him nothing but anxiety because-</p><p>Techno narrows his eyes, now fully facing Dream.</p><p>Damn, he may be friends with Techno but he’s definitely as scary as the Warriors claim he was.</p><p>“Don’t play dumb with me Dream, you know exactly what you did,” Techno tells him, taking a few steps forwards before stopping at just an arm’s length away, “You told me how you can modify compasses so that they point to each other-”</p><p>Dream thickly swallows, moving his stance to the side as to distance the compass from Techno.</p><p>“And the way your compass was,” Techno glances at Dream’s pocket, giving the other a knowing glance that clearly showed how he felt about the compass, “<em> moving around </em>, do you think I wouldn’t notice how strange that was?”</p><p>“What about it?” Dream asks through grit teeth, slowly emphasizing each word. He’s guilty- he’s so obviously guilty but he dares not to stand down from Techno.</p><p>“Dream, you-” Techno looks away, letting out an exasperated laugh. Dream stares on in confusion, trying to look the part despite the way he’s fidgeting around; a hand keeps clasping and unclasping, the other tapping at his thigh, brow furrowed, his teeth chewing at the inside of his cheek..</p><p>“It’s obvious that <em> you’re </em> the reason why we got ambushed!” Techno shouts, his voice booming throughout the cavern, “You- You gave George a compass, didn’t you?”</p><p>“How would you even know I gave George a compass?!”</p><p>“I saw how you looked at the compass- it’s practically the same way you look at George!”</p><p>Dream stares at Techno, dumbfounded. The latter seems to grin, having forced an answer out of the dirty haired man himself without him needing to speak.</p><p>Dream’s more fixated on what Techno had said- <em> what does he look like when he looks at George? </em></p><p>“N-No.. <em> No </em> , no matter how you see it, the compass- the compass <em> isn’t </em> the reason why we encountered Warriors!” Dream defends, standing his ground, “Look I- I don’t even know how they managed to find the ravine, I mean we just found the ravine! They even looked <em> surprised </em> to find us down here!”</p><p>“Oh, wow, keep lying to yourself Dream!” Techno turns away, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Then how the hell did they even find us there?! Would they even know about the ravine?! You and I both know that this ravine didn’t seem to <em> exist </em>until we found it a few days ago- you even pointed out that you remembered the area and this wasn’t even here!”</p><p>“I don’t know- ask them yourself, maybe they’d tell you!” Dream responds, reaching up to ruffle his hair in frustration. His eyes start to dart around the room, the way he chews on the inside of his cheek becoming rather painful.</p><p>“Right, very funny, Dream-”</p><p>“What the hell are you arguing about?”</p><p>The two of them turn to the entrance of the cave, finding an annoyed Illumina.</p><p>It was one thing to piss off Techno, and it was another to piss off Illumina.</p><p>“Him,” Techno says, sharply turning his attention to Dream. He doesn’t flinch- why would he? He’s not afraid of them.</p><p>Maybe just a bit, just a little, even though he knows he can beat them in a fight.</p><p>Or is it because he’s afraid of breaking the trust they’d form over the years of being together?</p><p>“I could tell,” Illumina says, turning his gaze towards Dream. His eyes were unreadable, but his expression was telling enough that he was annoyed. He sighs, “What’s this about a- a compass? You gave your childhood friend a compass-”</p><p><em> “That wasn’t the reason why we were found!” </em> Dream cries, the frustration already creeping up with his voice, “Look, if you guys want to incriminate me and <em> blame </em> me for having to fight those goddamned Warriors, fine, go off! But don’t you dare even mention <em> George </em> because what the fuck does he have to do with all of this?!”</p><p>“He’s a <em> Warrior </em>, Dream, he’s our enemy!” Techno shouts, hands raised in exasperation, “Look, we’ve spent nearly a year fighting them- those fuckers aren’t even afraid of death! We’ve killed them-”</p><p>His mind plays every single moment his axes slashed through their bodies,</p><p>arrows shot straight through their heads,</p><p>every single killing blow he’s dealt to each and every Warrior he’s encountered.</p><p>Exhaustion floods through his shoulders.</p><p>“-what, <em> a hundred times? </em> But sure, have pity for your <em> Gogy </em> or whatever-”</p><p>His fingers clench and unclench into fists, already tired of hearing his name come from Techno’s mouth.</p><p>“- but don’t you forget that L’Manburg is the reason why we even have blood on our hands!” Techno tells him, an arm spread out beside him as he emphasizes his point.</p><p>“Can you just- Can you stop bringing George into this?” Dream says through grit teeth, pinching the bridge of his nose; his head had been pounding ever since the first word had been spoken, his mind had been screaming at him words that don’t even make sense to him anymore- he’s exhausted, it’s exhausting, everything’s just so exhausting-</p><p>“Why are you even defending him, Dream? He’s one of the people out for our heads!”</p><p>“I’ve been gone for 10 years, Blade! He’s one of the people I have left in L’Manburg!” Dream snarls, now turning to Techno with an enraged look. Techno’s eyes widen, surprised at having his name be used. Dream glowers, his breathing heavy as he tries to steady his emotions.</p><p>Techno is one thing, Illumina is another, but Dream rarely gets pissed off. It’s not as bad, but it might as well be.</p><p>“You convinced me to leave because I lost everything- I shouldn’t have listened! Why did I even listen to you- all you did was take me away when I still had something to come back to!” He vents, reaching up to tug on his hair as he could not for the life of him stay steady.</p><p>There’s this raging energy within him wanting to just pummel everything to the ground, his mind telling him to just lash out and let them solve all their problems physically.</p><p>But he was sane- he was still sane, he had a sound mind, even if his mind was already screaming of violence, he dared not resort to that option.</p><p>“Clay, they were going to kill <em> you </em> next!” Techno says, the exhaustion showing through his voice, “Are you just going to forget the fact that the fire wasn’t even an accident?! Do you think that I’d believe that your parents dying was an <em> accident? </em> Clay, they- they wanted to kill your family! What happens if you had stayed, if you’ve gone home?! You wouldn’t even be alive! The moment that they know that you were still alive they would have-”</p><p>“<em> Really, </em> it’s funny how you say that, Blade, they all thought I was dead! <em> George </em> thought I was dead!” Dream shouts back, “Do you even care about that?! Do you even know how it feels to have your family think you’re-“</p><p>“Don’t turn this on me, Clay,” Techno says with his posture screaming <em> danger </em>and a warning edge to his tone, “ the only reason we’re in this situation is because L’Manburg is nothing but a-“</p><p>
  <em> “ENOUGH!” </em>
</p><p>Both men stop in their tracks as Illumina’s voice booms through the cavern.</p><p>“Enough, alright?” He repeats, ticked off from the whole situation, “I don’t know whatever inner conflict the two of you have to figure out- but it’s time to leave. Go settle your arguments later when we’re out of danger-”</p><p>“Like we aren’t always in danger,” Techno mumbles under his breath.</p><p>“- and already settled somewhere safer,” Illumina turns to Techno with tired eyes, silently communicating his death, “Now pack it up, we have to go.”</p><p>Dream picks up his pickaxe, trying his best not to act out as he heads over to their makeshift settlement. He hurriedly places items in bags, a usual habit of theirs as everything they do has to be fast. It’s as if there’s a timer on their actions, though the only timer counting down was their life as it resets each and every time they manage to send a group of Warriors back to L’Manburg.</p><p>They might handle a four versus one battle as well as they do a four versus three, but the moment they get ambushed by more groups of Warriors then it’s a fight they don’t know if they can ever win.</p><p>They’ve never experienced it, but they hope that it never happens.</p><p>Dream already had so much of their blood on his hands, even if it had never splattered on him, but he still felt the pressure of their supposed death weighing down on him.</p><p>Techno was the first to exit the ravine, being the one to pull up their items onto the surface as Illumina passes the bags from their temporary shelter to  Dream who in turn ties bags onto the lead for Techno to take to the surface. It was an unspoken role-taking, but the three of them had been around each other all this time; it was inevitable for them to already know whatever dynamic fits them best in any situation they encounter.</p><p>The silence was deafening, but it’s better than noise.</p><p>“For the record, Dream-”</p><p><em> It’s better than noise </em>.</p><p>“What?” Dream asks, his tone unnecessarily harsh as he turns to Illumina.</p><p>The man raises his hands in surrender as he passes the next bag to Dream, who ties it onto the lead as Techno has thrown it back into the ravine.</p><p>“I was just going to ask if what I heard was correct,” Illumina explains, his voice rather soft in contrast to that hell of a shouting match they had in the cavern earlier, “That you gave your friend- <em> George, </em> rather, a compass.”</p><p>“What about it?” Dream scoffs, watching as the bag disappears onto the surface and the lead is thrown back in the ravine. He takes another one from Illumina and ties it onto the rope.</p><p>“You’re the one who said to leave our past behind,” He says, repeating the words he said when he was against letting Dream keep George alive, “And yet here you are..”</p><p>Anger flares in Dream’s eyes, about to erupt in a fit of rage as he turns to Illumina-</p><p>“I don’t blame you, if that was the case,” Illumina precedes, giving Dream a knowing look.</p><p><em> Let me finish </em>, his eyes say.</p><p>Dream relaxes, as if relieved, <em> sorry. </em></p><p>A curt nod, <em> it’s fine </em>.</p><p>“What case?” Dream asks, trying not to let his emotions get the best of him. His throat had gone hoarse, feeling raw from shouting so much. He shouldn’t have- but it was better than escalating the situation where they inevitably resort to solving it with their fists.</p><p>“What you said earlier,” Illumina responds, passing him yet another bag, “Of leaving even if you still had something left.”</p><p>Nick’s and George’s faces flash through his head, and he fights back the grief his anger had melted into.</p><p>One by one, they appear in his mind.</p><p>Darryl.</p><p>Wilbur.</p><p>Zak.</p><p>Luke.</p><p>Alex.</p><p>Sam.</p><p>Ponk.</p><p>Eret.</p><p>Callahan.</p><p>“Dream?”</p><p>He blinks back tears with a shaky exhale, taking another bag from Illumina and tying it onto the lead.</p><p>“Dream.”</p><p>He turns to the man, eyes tired and lined with tears.</p><p>“I’m not as heartless as Techno,” Illumina says in a serious tone.</p><p>For some reason- Dream doesn’t find it serious.</p><p>A snort comes from him, a smile slowly spreading throughout his face as the makings of a giggle escape his throat until he’s practically wheezing, letting the phrase repeat in his head.</p><p>Illumina stares at him, astounded.</p><p>“What- are you okay?”</p><p>“Techno!” Dream calls out, a hand pressed onto the wall as he tries catching his breath, wiping away tears as he looks up, shouting, “Illumina called you heartless!”</p><p>The baffled look on Techno’s face only causes Dream to laugh harder, already pounding at his chest as he tries to stop; but it gets him laughing even more as his cackles turn into wheezing, his knees weakening at how hard he’s laughing.</p><p>“What the hell, Illumina?!” Techno says, his voice echoing down into the ravine.</p><p>“Wh-What- it’s true!” Illumina cries, embarrassed from becoming the subject of ridicule, “You’re heartless as fuck, you joke about killing orphans!”</p><p>“Yeah, Dream better be thankful he’s alive!”</p><p>“Techno, <em> what the hell?!” </em></p><p>
  <em> “Did I lie, dream?” </em>
</p><p>“Oh, <em> fuck off, </em> you two!” </p><p>Illumina goes on to hand Dream the rest of the bags, with Dream wiping away tears as he relishes in the aftermath of laughing too hard.</p><p>“Are you done?” Illumina asks, his voice obviously unamused.</p><p>“I’m done, I’m done,” Dream chuckles, still all smiles as he catches the lead that Techno drops into the ravine. He gives Illumina a short nod, one that he usually means as a silent thank you, before continuing on with the task at hand.</p><hr/><p>Illumina stares at him, having gotten used to Dream's silent gestures. He smiles underneath the mask in response to this, amused of the male's antics. He passes another bag to Dream as the rope is thrown back down, wiping his hands from the dust that had collected from their bags.</p><p>He glances at Dream, seeing the exhaustion in his eyes despite the casual smile he held on his lips. He looks up at Techno, seeing the ever-permanent frown on his lips. He was always frowning, not that it was rare to see him smile. He just.. well, smiled less.</p><p>He had just known them for half the time the two of them had spent out in the wilderness, and yet up to this date he still doesn't know the actual reason why they were out here than in L’Manburg- well, other than wanting to find the Stronghold, of course. </p><p>He frowns underneath the mask, watching as Dream makes his way up the rope. Hearing their argument earlier had him curious about their history, since they had held up their “leaving the past behind” so strongly that they never really talked about their life while in L'Manburg.</p><p>Illumina didn’t really have anything to leave behind, he had already chosen to forsake his life back in his town when he had made the decision to leave the walls and become a Runaway.</p><p>Whatever may the reason be for their departure from L’Manburg, he knew it wasn’t in his place to ask.</p><p>For some reason, he just knows that there will come a time where the topic will be brought up against their will.</p><p>And for some reason he knew that.. <em> George </em> will have to do something about it.</p><p>He's not sure when, but he just knows.</p><p>Ever since Dream had come back from the forest that one time, uncharacteristically crying as he silently sat by the fire- Illumina had felt the sense of foreboding that will and might happen.</p><p>Eventually, that is.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>ahehehe so the part at the end, I may have projected onto Dream because I can't for the life of me to continue crying in front of other people, I always had to make myself laugh one way or another so that no one worries about me aaaaaa anyway eNOUGH ABOUT ME</p><p>HOPE YOU GUYS ARE HAVING A GREAT DAY!! &lt;3</p><p>also,, illumina pov :)) ehehehe how are we feeling</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hello! you can reach out to me on these accounts!</p><p>ig: @clyveon (ART acc)<br/>twt: @cly_smp (MCYT acc) , @clyveon (ART acc)<br/>discord: @cly_252 #2931</p><p>i usually follow back!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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